Many many folks ordered up some warmer weather over the last couple of months.  I don’t think people wanted too much heat, but we wanted out of the 40s and 50s.  Well….all of the warm weather is rushing in at once.   And so it looks like another year where we skip Spring and go straight from Winter to Summer.  Yesterday was wonderful.  We had highs in the low 70s along with fair skies.  However, yesterday we started in the 40s.  Today we started with temps in the mid-upper 50s.   It felt and looked beautiful.

Virginia Beach This Morning

We will see fair skies today with afternoon highs rising into the upper 70s to near 80.  This warm weather will stick around for several days as ridging takes place across the U.S.  That is when the jetstream rises north and allows for high pressure and warm temperatures to build in.

Warm Weather This Week.

The cold weather will migrate to the west for a change.  They may even see 1-2 feet of snow in the higher elevations of Wyoming.  In-between they are expecting strong-to-severe storms in the Plains and Midwest.  Luckily we’ll stay dry along with the warmer temperatures.  Local farmers will get a chance to get some planting done.   We will be well above average over the next couple of days, but we will still be below record territory.

Highs, Records, & Averages

Meteorologist Tiffany Savona showed this graphic yesterday.  I just tweaked the numbers a bit.  We will cool down on Friday with showers and storms expected.  We are looking at cooler weather next weekend but not cold weather.  Highs are forecast to be in the 60s on Saturday and Sunday.

As per the blog title…I found this interesting update from NOAA.  It talks about some new technology that can predict where whale traffic is likely in the Pacific Ocean.  It doesn’t track them directly, but instead where the conditions are ripe for krill and whales to occur.  Hopefully, it will help mariners avoid whale traffic.  Perhaps someday it will be used in the Atlantic as well.  I’m not sure how much a problem it is in this basin.

Meteorologist: Jeremy Wheeler

Just like the title suggests, it FINALLY feels like spring across Hampton Roads. It was a great weekend to spend some time outside, especially today when highs reached the upper 60s, lower 70s.

Sunday High Temperatures

If you like the warm weather, you are in luck. Temperatures will continue to rise through the middle of the week. High temperatures will be well above average, but below record levels. This graphic shows the forecast high temperatures in orange from Monday-Thursday. Record high temperatures for each day are in red and plotted above the forecast temperature. Keep in mind the average high temperature this time of year is 66 degrees.

Record VS. Forecast

Many locations could hit 80° at least one day this week. Based on climate data, the first occurrence of an 80° day in Norfolk occurs on March 28th. Our current forecast has Norfolk reaching 80° this Wednesday, April 10th. If this verifies, 2013 will have the latest, first occurrence of an 80° day since 1992 (National Weather Service). Last year we saw our first 80° day on February 24th. So we are a little behind schedule this year.

The weather will stay warm and dry through Thursday. Our next storm system will move into Hampton Roads sometime on Friday bringing a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. It looks like temperatures will drop next weekend as a cold front moves into the region. Enjoy the nice weather this week!

Meteorologist: Tiffany Savona

Today should be the last day in awhile where we have a high in the range from 50-60°. The key difference is all about the wind direction. Today our wind speeds should remain out of the Northeast at 5-15mph. The temperature of the ocean and the Chesapeake Bay is still close to 50 degrees. That wind will keep our highs cooler than normal. Tonight the wind should stop and we will see a change for tomorrow.

Warmer on Sunday

This pattern with that area of high pressure parked offshore will help to develop a Southwest wind for tomorrow at 10-15mph. That wind will boost our temperatures to the 70s in the afternoon.

This dry and warm pattern should continue through Wednesday where we could see highs inland close to 80 degrees!

Warmer Weather Coming

In the midwest, severe storms will slowly move across Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma over this week. By Thursday afternoon we might see some thunderstorms in our area, it is still early to tell what the severe potential is but stay tuned!

Enjoy the 70s this week!

Meteorologist Jeff Edmondson

We had some heavy rain last night in a few locations.  It added up in the rain buckets.  Many areas had a half inch to an inch. Some locations had almost 2″.

Rain Totals

Doris on the Lower Eastern Shore had over an inch.  Greg in Currituck had 0.6″. Jan in Reedville had just under an inch.   Now the rain is done, and we will launch into a nice weekend.  One negative for today will be the wind.  Winds will be northerly at 10-20mph with a few gusts up to 30mph near the shore.  Otherwise, skies will clear and temperatures will warm to the upper 50s to low 60s.

Today’s Forecast

The cool front to the north will move through tonight, but it will fall apart.  So we will be a little cooler tomorrow with highs in the mid 50s. However, we will also have a lot of sunshine.  So some inland temperatures may get even warmer.  Winds will be northeast at 10-15mph.  That northeast wind will still make for a little chilly weather near the shore despite the sunshine.

Tomorrow’s Forecast

The warm airmass to our west will get a chance to rush in on Sunday.  We’ll have highs in the upper 60s with partly sunny skies. Then we’ll be in the 70s (solid) most of next week.  We may even see some 80s next Wednesday.  Nice!  Have a great weekend.  Enjoy the weather.

Meteorologist: Jeremy Wheeler

It has been cool lately, but at least we’ve had a lot of sunshine.  Now today we are going to break that trend as rain showers look to move in by the end of the day.  Yesterday’s models held off the rain until tonight, but this morning’s models have sped up the rain timeline.  The rain is still far to our southwest.  This morning it was located over South Carolina with a few showers crossing the border into North Carolina.

Satellite/Radar

An area of low pressure will move out of Florida and ride up along the coast.  It won’t be too strong until it moves up our way and heads offshore.  Rain is spreading out ahead of the low with an overrunning pattern.  Remember, that is when warmer/more moist air pushes into and over a cooler airmass.  This ultimately forces condensation/precipitation to occur.  So rain chances go up to about 30% by 5pm.  By 7pm they are 40%.  By 9pm…60%.  So the Tides baseball opener tonight looks wet.  Especially towards the end of the game.  Here is what our computer model (Future Trak) shows at 7pm:

Future Trak (7pm)

Overnight the low will approach the coast.  This will enhance the rainfall between 11pm and 4am.  Here is some of the good news in all of this… The models show a lot of the rain pushing out by 7 am now.  So the morning commute tomorrow may not be as messy as we were advertising yesterday.  Here is our model at 7am Friday:

Future Trak (7AM)

I still think there will be some spotty showers, but probably not the widespread rain.  Overall we are talking about 1-1.5 inches of rainfall.

Forecast Rain Totals

Many folks have probably waited to plant anything with the recent cold temperatures, but I know there are a few folks who have.  This rain will be good for anything that you did put in the ground.

As the low moves offshore, then it will strengthen.  Our winds are forecast to be out of the north at 10-20mph with gusts up to 25mph.  High pressure will quickly build in over the weekend.  Saturday will be mostly sunny.  High temps will only be in the mid 50s, but hey…it’s better than 40s.  On Sunday we are looking for some upper 60s with partly cloudy skies.  The warm weather will really stick around through next week.  Highs will be in the low-to-mid 70s.

Meteorologist: Jeremy Wheeler

We had some nice weather yesterday.  High temperatures were in the 50s, but there may have been a couple of 60s inland.  Today we will see fair skies and highs once again in the 50s.  It’s very dry outside with dew points (a measure of moisture) in the 20s and 30s.  High pressure is in control of the weather for today and tomorrow, but there is an area of low pressure across the Gulf states that will be trekking on through in the next 48 hours.

Satellite/Radar

The low will steadily head northeast during that time.  We will get some overrunning precipitation by late Thursday night.  The rain is really expected to pick up by the pre-dawn hours of Friday.  Heavy rain and a few thunderstorms will be possible from 3am until about Noon on that day.  This could make for a very messy commute during the morning.  Good thing the traffic has been light this week due to some Spring Breakers off of school or their parents off work.

Rain Friday Morning

We are looking at 1-1.5″ of rain. Up to 2″ may even be possible.  I’ll get more specific with that tomorrow.  Behind the system we are looking good for the rest of the weekend. Highs will be in the 50s on Saturday with partly cloudy skies. Mostly sunny on Sunday with highs in the upper 60s to near 70.  The warmth will remain into the middle of next week.

Meteorologist: Jeremy Wheeler

Yesterday was awesome!  It felt so great to be outside without a jacket.  The temperatures were warm.  The pollen still isn’t too crazy yet, and the mosquitoes are not out yet.  This is a great time of year.  We topped off in the low 70s with a lot of sunshine in the afternoon.  But this was only a brief taste of Spring weather.  A cold front brought clouds and a few showers to the area yesterday evening.  So today we are starting with temperatures 10-20 degrees colder than yesterday morning.

24 Hr. Temperature Change

Colder air has settled back into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.  We will have about 2-3 days of cooler weather.

Today’s Forecast

High pressure will build in today, so we will have plenty of sunshine.  Highs will be in the low 50s today as well as tomorrow.  Tonight the low temperatures will drop to the mid 30s with some low 30s inland.  That is bad news for the blooming plants and flowers that think it’s Spring outside (note of sarcasm).  So you may want to cover some of your tender vegetation or bring it in the house if possible.  Pets too if they don’t fare too well in the cold.

We are still looking at an area of low pressure to move through the region on Friday.  Rain showers with a few thunderstorms are the forecast for now, but stay tuned!  There could be some strong storms over part of the viewing area.  Heavy rain and gusty winds will be another possibility.  At least we are looking very good for the weekend.  Dry with highs in the 50s and 60s.  Maybe some 70s.

Meteorologist: Jeremy Wheeler

I hope everybody had a good Easter weekend.  We had some great weather on Saturday.  I had a chance to do some yard work as I’m sure many did.  Then the rain came on Sunday, but it didn’t last all day.  Plus, we had some nice warm temperatures yesterday.  Folks got to enjoy them in-between the rain showers.  We picked up about a quarter to a half an inch of rain.  Today we started in the 50s with some spotty showers in Hampton Roads.

Satellite/Radar

This first set of showers will push out, and we will see some great weather around the midday and early afternoon hours.  Late in the day a cold front will move through and give use a few more spotty showers.  This will happen between 4 and 7 pm.  I only have the chance for rain at 25% at that time, but it may go up a bit if the front gets a little stronger.

Today’s Forecast

Highs will be near 70, but it will be cooler near the shore.  A sea breeze could even set up if the winds are light.  If that sets up, then it will be about 10 degrees cooler near the shore compared to inland.  Behind the front tonight we will dry out and everybody will cool down.  Lows will be in the upper 30s to low 40s. Tomorrow it will definitely be cooler with highs in the low 50s.  It will be dry, but you will notice the difference in temps.  Highs will be near 50 on Wednesday.  Then we’ll warm up going into next weekend.  A strong coastal low will move through on Friday.  The details are still preliminary, but it will bring us a good chance for rain and some windy conditions.  We could even get some thunderstorms, but the location is to be determined.

Meteorologist: Jeremy Wheeler

If you woke up early on this Easter Sunday, you may have seen the beautiful sunrise. Here is a great picture of the sunrise this morning taken by our Chief Photographer Jeff Myers in Sandbridge.

Sunday AM Sunrise

We didn’t stay dry for long! The rain moved in this morning and became widespread by 9-10AM. Here is what the radar looked like at 10:20AM. A lot of folks got caught in the rain heading to those Easter church services and I was one of them.

Satellite/Radar from 10:20AM

This first batch of rain moved out early this afternoon, allowing many of us to see some sunshine and highs in the 60s. But…we are not done with the rain just yet! We are tracking a weak cold front that will move in shortly after midnight. As this front (wind shift line) moves through the region, it could spark off a few showers and possibly a thunderstorm late tonight. We are not going to cool down behind this front. Winds will shift more out of the west behind the boundary allowing drier air to filter into Hampton Roads.

Satellite Radar at 8:50 PM

Round 2 of rain is about to move back into Hampton Roads over the next few hours. Our Future Trak model is doing a good job on picking up where the rain is right now. Rain showers should push into the region before midnight tonight.

Future Trak at Midnight

The front will be draped across North Carolina early tomorrow morning. Even though this model doesn’t have much rain, I think we may see a few showers across North Carolina in the morning. Besides some morning rain possible across North Carolina, most of your Monday will be warm and dry with highs near 70°.

Future Trak at 8 AM Monday

Don’t expect the warm weather to stick around for long. The second cold front to the west of Lynchburg is the front that will bring much cooler air back to Hampton Roads. This second and stronger cold front will move in Monday night. We could see a few more showers behind this front Monday night, but most locations should stay dry. Tuesday and Wednesday will be the coolest days of the week with highs only near 50°.

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter! Have a great Monday!

Meteorologist Tiffany Savona

Clearing Skies

We were treated to a nice sunrise with temperatures quickly warming up to 50 degrees by 9am. As we move in to the afternoon we should get a sunny day with highs in the lower 60s. Tonight the clouds will increase ahead of our next storm system.

Rain Starts between 9am-Noon

Sunday Afternoon

We should see the arrival of the rainfall tomorrow late morning between 9am and Noon. It should stick around for a few hours, so if you are going to a Sunrise Service or the traditional Easter Brunch, bring the umbrella. In the afternoon we should see the showers move out, but we might see the return of more showers and possibly a thunderstorm tomorrow evening before sundown. The wind will be strong as this storm passes by with a South wind at 15-20mph tomorrow. Temperatures though will actually be mild this time around. Highs will be near 63 for Easter and 69 on Monday!

Have a great Holiday Weekend!

Meteorologist Jeff Edmondson