Weather! Cooler week ahead, and a 10K preview
A thunderstorm! Plus cooler temps and what you can expect for this weekend’s race.
Monday was an exciting day, at least for me. It’s been all too long since I’ve seen much in the way of thunderstorms. Today also marked the first severe thunderstorm warning of 2010 issued by the National Weather Service office in Wakefield; a near-severe storm passed through eastern Caroline County Monday afternoon and generated a report of nickel-size hail (approximately 0.88” in diameter) near Port Royal.
The low pressure system that brought the clouds and rain is slowly moving east, bringing some downright chilly air along with it. While Richmond was enjoying temperatures that hit 70 today, things weren’t quite so pleasant in the western part of the state. Bristol has been stuck at 37 degrees since 4pm Monday, though the rain/snow mix that was falling earlier has changed over to all rain. Blacksburg spent most of the day in the low 50s, Roanoke topped out at 60, and Charlottesville hit 71.
Tuesday is looking a lot like a repeat of Monday. There are small chances of rain and some convective development – which means there’s a possibility of more thunderstorms. Cooler temperatures aloft, responsible for the extra-chilly air out west, will keep Tuesday’s high around 60 rather than the 70 we’ve grown used to for the last week.
Warm, dry air moves takes over for Wednesday and Thursday. Temperatures will be back climb back to the 70 we’ve come to know and love. Expect a few clouds on Thursday, as our next low pressure system makes its way towards the area. Lows both nights should bottom out in the mid-40s.
Looking ahead to this weekend and Saturday’s Monument Avenue 10K, while Friday is looking generally wet, a low pressure system passing through will clear the area by Saturday morning. Cooler temperatures will be left behind, making for a very chilly start to the run Saturday morning. If you’re going to be out running, or cheering the runners on, plan for overnight lows Friday night into the low to mid 30s, and highs Saturday only reaching the middle 50s. Barring a shift in the system passing through the area on Friday, we’ll at least avoid rain at race-time. However, it’s still early to say for sure. I’ll post another pre-race update later this week.
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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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