Weather! Midweek rain on the way; Beryl not a threat

Weather Dan — Tue, 29 May 2012 04:07:55 +0000

High pressure has kept the weather somewhere north of "absolutely fantastic" over this holiday weekend. While Tuesday also starts out pleasant, an approaching disturbance from the west will make an approach into eastern Virginia Tuesday night.

But first, let's talk about Beryl:

Tropical Depression Beryl is beginning a turn to the northeast, and will begin to move toward the Carolina coast over the next 48 hours. While the storm will remain a tropical depression, dropping multiple inches of rain across the southeast, Beryl is going to remain too far to the south to directly have much of an impact on central Virginia.

A approaching cold front will force high pressure off the Atlantic coast beginning Tuesday, bringing some unsettled weather, rain, and cooler temperatures into the Richmond area on Wednesday.

Tuesday: Our last really warm day for the next week will go out in style, as high temperatures soar to near 90 degrees under partly to mostly sunny skies. Winds will increase some as Beryl gets a little closer, with gusts to near 15 mph , especially in the afternoon and evening hours. Look for a low around 70, as showers/thunderstorms begin late in advance of the cold front.

Wednesday: Beryl makes its closest pass to the southeast of Richmond during the day Wednesday. Outflow from the cyclone will interact with the passing cold front, giving us a pretty good chance for showers and thunderstorms all day. Don't be surprised to see some locally heavy downbursts from some of Beryl's outer rain bands. Temperatures peak in the lower 80s, dropping into the lower 60s overnight.

Thursday: The front clears out Wednesday evening, as Beryl increases in forward speed and moves out to sea. Cooler temperatures and high pressure move in behind the front, holding high temperatures to near 80. Overnight lows will fall to near 60.

Another area of low pressure will move through the Ohio Valley on Friday, bringing favorable odds for some more rain on both Friday and Saturday. While the first half of the weekend is a wash, high pressure will return by Sunday morning, allowing for some redemption.

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