Weather! Hold on to your hats

Richmond’s in a drier airmass now, but still may see some lingering clouds for the rest of Friday as the remaining moisture clears out.

October 15, 2010; 12:52 PM • by Weather Dan

The deepening Nor’easter that was responsible for yesterday’s 0.67” of rain (that’s 200% of our month-to-date total prior to yesterday), is tracking north and strengthening over New England. In fact, it has actually bombed out – the meteorological term “bomb” refers to a mid-latitude (between 30 and 60 degrees N/S) cyclone that experiences a pressure drop of at least 1 millibar per hour over a period of at least 24 hours. The surface air pressure at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, dropped 35 millibars in a 24-hour period ending at 10am this morning.

A 35-millibar change over any period of time is significant; wraparound moisture and a trough associated with the low is still causing cloudiness and precipitation over most of West Virginia and the western part of Virginia; it’s even snowing at Snowshoe, West Virginia.

Richmond’s in a drier airmass now, but still may see some lingering clouds for the rest of Friday as the remaining moisture clears out. What we will have, until the low clears the Atlantic coast, is some pretty strong winds over today and tomorrow. Sustained winds of 15-20 miles per hour at times will be augmented by gusts of up to 35 miles per hour. Visible satellite loops this morning show some clouds starting to build in from the west, but highs should still be able to reach the upper 60s without much difficulty. Skies will clear out again tonight and temperatures will drop into the mid 40s overnight. There may be a small chance of a scattered shower during the times of highest cloudcover, but I don’t expect anything widespread to impact the area.

High pressure is back in control on Saturday, and that means clear skies and lots of sun. There’s no better combination for a fall weekend, in my opinion. Highs will climb to near 70, before dropping into the mid 40s again overnight. Some gusty winds will linger until the low moves completely offshore Saturday evening into Sunday.

Hokiecast (vs. Wake Forest, 3:30pm): It’s homecoming in Blacksburg, and clearly Frank Beamer’s influence extends into the atmospheric sciences as well. Clear skies are on tap all day long, with temps starting out near 65 before dropping into the upper 50s by the fourth quarter.

Cavcast: (vs. North Carolina, 6:00pm): The weather will be quite similar in Charlottesville, with clear skies all evening long. Bundle up, though, as the game’s kickoff temperature in the mid 60s will drop into the mid 50s by game’s end.

As for Sunday, it’s going to be more of the same. The winds will die down, but we’ll still have clear skies and lots of sun. Highs will climb into the mid 70s before dropping to near 50 overnight.

I’m keeping an eye on some precipitation chances in the middle of next week, but other than that, the next few days look great. Enjoy the weekend!

October 15, 2010 12:52 PM 1