Weather! More winter weather, cold temperatures to kick off the week

We’ve got the chance for another hint of winter this morning, before giving way to rain and well below-average temperatures for the early part of the week. Keep the umbrella handy!

March 28, 2011; 4:38 AM • by Weather Dan

Virginia saw a variety of winter precipitation this weekend, with some of the highest amounts coming on the Eastern Shore, where parts of southern Maryland saw close to three inches of snow, while Wallops Island, Va. reported only six tenths of an inch. Dulles Airport set a daily record with a whopping one tenth of an inch of snow, while Richmond International saw just a trace of snowfall for the day. Earlier reports from the National Weather Service in Wakefield indicated that in central Virginia amounts of less than an inch were common, including two tenths of an inch in Glen Allen, eight tenths in Ashland, and half an inch in Goochland. Additionally, Sunday’s high of 41 at RIC tied the record for coldest high temperature, which was originally set in 1947.

Conditions aren’t looking like they’re going to improve much for the early part of this week. While we had some clearing in the latter part of Sunday, cloudcover associated with another disturbance is moving across the state this morning, bringing around round of precipitation with it.

Unfortunately, temperatures are cold enough that we may see some more winter precipitation out of this. It’s looking like the bulk of the precip will hold off until later this morning, which means we’ll have the chance to get some warming in and just be stuck with a cold rain around most of the Richmond metro. That being said, don’t be surprised to see a snowflake or sleet pellet before it clears out later in the afternoon, but don’t expect a lot of accumulation, either. Cold surfaces like cars and grassy areas will have the best chances for seeing anything accumulate; roads will be wet and may be slick in places.

For the rest of Monday, we’ll see some improvement once this next disturbance clears out, with high pressure moving in behind it and chasing some of the clouds away. Don’t get too excited, though; cold air is still going to keep temperatures between 15 and 20 degrees below average, with highs topping out only in the mid 40s. Lows tonight bottom out again, heading for the mid 20s under partly cloudy skies.

Tuesday stays partly cloudy as well under the influence of high pressure, allowing temperatures to climb up into the mid 50s. Clouds will build back in beginning in the afternoon as our next disturbance approaches the region, this one bringing a fair amount of rain with it. If you’ve got outdoor plans Tuesday evening, start thinking about rescheduling. Rain should continue through the overnight hours, moderating lows slightly and allowing them only to drop into the upper 30s.

Widespread rain will likely continue through most of Wednesday, finally giving way to a brief clearing period later in the week, as yet another rainmaker approaches the coast closer to the weekend. Temps are looking to stay cool and conditions dreary through most of the rest of the week, but there are some hints of a warmup coming early next week. I’ll keep you posted and have an update on the rain Wednesday morning.

March 28, 2011 4:38 AM 0