Weather! Rain’s return on the roster for Richmond

Friday’s been gorgeous. This weekend? Not so much. Try to enjoy the outdoors Saturday morning, but make sure to pack a heavy-duty umbrella. Sunday’s going to be a wet one.

April 20, 2012; 5:21 PM • by Weather Dan

A 1-2 punch of rainy weather is set up to throw a pair of soggy punches at eastern Virginia this weekend.

The first is a deepening area of low pressure over the Great Lakes. As it works its way eastward into New England, a cold front will swing through the Ohio Valley today and into Virginia tomorrow morning, triggering showers as it moves eastward.

The second is an atmospheric uppercut in the form of a coastal low developing near the Florida-Georgia border Saturday evening, sliding up the coast as a late-season nor’easter on Sunday and Monday.

Friday: As for what’s left of Friday, the fair-weather clouds will continue into tonight, increasing in coverage late. Temperatures slip only to near 60 overnight.

Saturday: Winds begin to pick up Saturday morning as the front approaches. Skies stay partly to mostly cloudy through the morning hours, allowing daytime heating to crank up and send temperatures into the low 80s. All this heating will help destabilize the atmosphere enough to trigger a thunderstorm or two ahead of the front. This will transition to a line of showers and some embedded thunderstorms moving through after sunset. Look for temperatures to stabilize in the low 50s overnight as the front slides east and things dry out temporarily.

Sunday: The nor’easter comes knocking on Sunday morning, rapidly intensifying as it slides up the coast. Expect a day that’s going to be a virtual – if not an actual – washout. Temperatures will struggle to make it past 55, and winds will gust to 20 mph at times throughout the day. Moisture from the low will begin interacting with the front Sunday morning. We may get a break in the precip around sunrise, but otherwise expect a steady rain for most of the day. We’re looking at a good bit of rain, too – lots of places will see at least an inch of rain, it not a bit more. We certainly need it. The rain tapers off as the low moves off to the northeast late Sunday night, and temperatures slip into the low 40s.

Monday: The winds crank up again on Monday; expect gusts from 20 – 25 mph at times. Clearing finally begins Monday morning as winds shift around to the west. However, expect conditions to stay chilly, with highs only near 60. Temperatures slip back into the mid 30s Monday night.

Beyond that, we spend the first part of the week relatively cool, but temperatures begin to ramp up again into the later part of next week. We’ll be back near 80 before you know it. In the meantime, stay dry!

April 20, 2012 5:21 PM 0