Weather! Black Friday slightly gray; sun, cooler temperatures for the weekend
I apologize for not linking to this prior to Thanksgiving Day, but for those that are curious, the National Weather Service in Wakefield has put together a short PDF detailing Thanksgiving Day climatology The average high/low for Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is 57/36; this year, it was 56/39. Pretty close to average for the day. […]
I apologize for not linking to this prior to Thanksgiving Day, but for those that are curious, the National Weather Service in Wakefield has put together a short PDF detailing Thanksgiving Day climatology The average high/low for Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is 57/36; this year, it was 56/39. Pretty close to average for the day.
The good news is that some of the cold air that I had alluded to is taking its sweet time getting across the Appalachians. A weak warm front is snaking across Virginia tonight as I write this, keeping temperatures steady since they peaked this afternoon. In some places, such as Blacksburg and Norfolk, they have actually increased. The 7pm observation at Blacksburg was 43 degrees, by midnight it’s now up to 55. It’s similar in Norfolk, where a temperature of 57 at 7pm has now climbed back up to 64 at midnight. However, a cold front crossing the mountains now will keep temperatures from getting much warmer through the day. Black Friday will likely see a high around 8am near 60, with temperatures staying in the 50s but falling through the daylight hours, and into the low 30s overnight. The already-thick cloud layer will stick around until the front passes, with some rain showers possible through the morning hours. Rain totals shouldn’t amount to much, probably 0.1” to 0.2” at best, and should be clear of town by the afternoon. Behind the front, the clouds will lift and skies will begin clearing, ushering in the cooler temperatures.
The cool, dry airmass will be responsible for the weather for the rest of the weekend. Temperatures Saturday will struggle to reach 50 despite mostly clear skies during the day. Winds will also pick up behind the front, generally staying below 10mph but with some higher gusts making your weekend shopping trips a bit breezy. Temperatures Saturday night will fall into the mid 30s.
HokieCast (vs. Virginia, 12:00pm): If you’re heading to Blacksburg for this weekend’s curbstomping of showdown with UVa, bundle up. A noon kickoff means some early morning tailgating, and with temperatures only in the upper 20s at sunrise, it’s going to be quite brisk. Temperatures at kickoff will only be slightly above 40, with winds above 15 miles per hour, gusting to close to 30 mph. Skies will stay mostly clear, but temperatures won’t warm much, reaching the mid 40s at best by game’s end. Postgame, overnight temperatures will again dip into the low 20s.
High pressure behind the cold front will be responsible for keeping Sunday in Richmond pretty close to Saturday — another day of mostly clear skies with highs near 50 and lows in the mid 30s. Saturday’s strong breeze will be gone, replaced with only a very light wind during the day.
Enjoy your weekend, and I hope you enjoy your post-holiday turkey- and shopping-induced hangovers. I’ll have an update on next week’s forecast, which looks a little wetter, on Monday.
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Weather Dan
Dan Goff is now a two-time former Richmonder, having departed the River City yet again in favor of southwest Virginia, where he is working on degrees in geography and meteorology at Virginia Tech. Have a question about the weather or weather-related phenomena?
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