Weather! More mild weather ahead, rain returns on Sunday

It’s sunny and quite warm for those trying to get out and shop on Friday and Saturday, but clouds and rain return for the second half of the weekend.

November 24, 2011; 11:26 PM • by Weather Dan

High pressure is set up over the southeast, funneling plenty of warm air into Virginia. We hit 72 on Wednesday before cooling off some today, only reaching a high of 62. Regardless, we’re still above the average temperature for this time of year. The warm trend, however, departs after this weekend, so make sure to take advantage of it while you can.

Black Friday: Clear skies mean temperatures will plummet overnight, dropping into the low 30s tonight. If you’re heading out tonight or early in the morning to shop, first know that I’ll be with you in spirit, even though I’ll be in my warm, comfy bed. Second, layer up. It’s going to go from a very chilly morning to a very warm day with lots of sunshine and temperatures in the upper 60s, and I guarantee that extra sweatshirt you threw on to keep you warm until the doors open at your favorite store will be much less welcome if you’re still running around at noon.

Clear skies continue into Friday night, meaning another chilly night with lows in the mid 30s.

Saturday: Temperatures again rebound well with partly to mostly sunny skies. Temperatures will make a run at 70 (!) in the early afternoon before some clouds start to appear in advance of another advancing cold front from the west. We won’t cool off quite as much overnight thanks to the extra cloudcover, and temperatures will dip into the mid 40s.

Sunday: Increasing clouds will preclude rain as it advances into the region Sunday morning. It’s a little early to tell exactly when the precip would start; that’s going to depend heavily on how rapidly this frontal boundary advances across the mountains. Depending on timing, there are some hints that some folks out in the higher elevations may see some of the white stuff out of this, but I’m quite skeptical. It is – without a doubt – going to be entirely in liquid form across eastern and central Virginia. The sooner the rain moves in, the warmer we’ll stay overnight; if it remains dry, we could get as low as the mid 40s. Otherwise, low temps may be just north of 50.

What happens on Monday and beyond depends a lot on how the upper-level pattern works out in the interim. A large upper-level trough is going to swing through, providing the momentum for the cold front that’s responsible for this rain. This may develop into an area of low pressure cut-off from the upper-level circulation. If that happens, it will sit over the southeast and spin, pulling in cooler, wet air from the Atlantic. If this happens, the rain will stick around into the middle of the week. Temperatures will stay in the low 50s through Wednesday, with lows in the upper 30s.

November 24, 2011 11:26 PM 0