Weather! Life’s a beach

Despite some weekend rain, we haven’t made much of a dent in our drought conditions. Hot and humid weather continues for the beginning of this week, with some rain chances on Monday.

July 19, 2010; 7:31 AM • by Weather Dan

I’m currently sitting on beautiful Chincoteague Island, enjoying my summer vacation. The weather here this weekend has been beautiful, with sunny skies and high humidity every day so far. We had some passing showers overnight Saturday night, but nothing heavy nor significant. I have to say, its much more enjoyable when I can escape to the beach and enjoy delicious local ice cream.

Speaking of dry, despite thunderstorms in the metro region Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, Richmond International has only recorded a trace of rain each night. Naturally, that’s not done much to help ease our drought woes; the forecast for the first part of this week doesn’t look too stellar for making a dent in the current deficit, either.

Sunday’s high of 99 marked the 15th straight day of temperatures at or above 90 degrees, the 34th day at or above 90 since the first of June, and the 39th day since January first — more than we saw in all of 2009 (33 days). Richmond has only seen 6 periods of 15 days or longer of consecutive 90-degree days; we’re on track to join that group, as there doesn’t seem to be much relief in store for the short term.

The heat continues into Monday. A trough of energy approaching from the west will be the trigger for some afternoon showers and thunderstorms, though its difficult to pinpoint exactly when or where these will pop up. Highs will hit the low 90s, with lows in the 70s overnight.

Tuesday and Wednesday will see high pressure and a flow from the southwest firmly in control, meaning two more hot and humid days. Temperatures again should hit the mid 90s both days, with lows overnight in the mid 70s. With the high pressure around, any chances for rain will be almost nonexistent.

Due to limited Internet time I’ve got to forego the Squirrelcasts for now. Overall though, I’d expect temperatures around game time in the upper 80s, dropping into the low 80s by game’s end. Go Squirrels! I’ll be back on Thursday with a forecast for the rest of the week, and more gloating about my time at the beach. :)

July 19, 2010 7:31 AM 0