Weather! Late-week warmup on the way

Richmond, if you can suffer through one 60-degree day (I saw how you dealt with this winter, I know you can), then I can promise a beautiful end to the week.

April 28, 2010; 2:42 PM • by Weather Dan

Richmond, if you can suffer through one 60-degree day (I saw how you dealt with this winter, I know you can), then I can promise a beautiful end to the week. Just be glad we’re only seeing slightly below average temperatures and that we’re not in Vermont, where people have had to resort to mowing the lawn in the snow.

There was a chilly start to Wednesday morning, and temperatures bottomed out near 40 last night. It officially hit a low of 42 degrees this morning at Richmond International, though other areas got even cooler. Reader Eddi mentioned to me that WVCE reported a temperature of 37 degrees at about 7:10 this morning. But despite the chill this morning, it’s going to segue into a very nice day, for a Wednesday. Clear skies will prevail for not just today but the entire rest of the work week, though it will be a bit breezy today with northwest winds around 15mph and higher gusts. High temperatures today will peak in the low 60s, with another cool night tonight and lows near 40, again. If you’ve got sensitive plants, you might want to think about either covering them or bringing them in for the evening.

The clear weather today does bring with it an increased risk of wildfires. Please use caution when burning and remember the statewide burn ban is in effect before 4pm daily. More information about the burn ban is available from the Virginia Department of Forestry.

The warmup begins in earnest on Thursday. Winds shift from the northwest to the west but still keep things breezy, as temperatures climb into the low to mid 70s. Clear skies stick around yet again, and low temperatures Thursday night drop into the low 50s rather than the low 40s.

Friday is more of the same. Winds will shift to the southwest and lessen some, while temperatures soar into the low 80s during the afternoon hours. Friday night lows will fall only into the low 60s.

Friday night Race/Squirrelcast: Whether you’re at the Diamond or at RIR (or anywhere else!), you’re going to be in for a great Friday evening. Skies will continue to be clear into the evening hours. 7pm temperatures should still be well into the 70s, meaning that there will be a great evening of baseball, racing and post-race tailgating in store for everyone.

Saturday’s still looking a little iffy, and I’m seeing some disagreement among the models regarding the evening forecast for Saturday night’s race. I’ll have another full update on the weekend on Friday.

April 28, 2010 2:42 PM 1