Monday, January 11, 2010

Warming Trend This Week


Richmond recorded its coldest low temperature of the season today with a low of 13 degrees. This is coldest it's been since March 4, 2009, when RIC dropped to 10 degrees. If you're not a fan of this kind of cold, here's some good news for your Monday morning. A gradual warming trend is anticipated this week for much of the Southeastern U.S., a great thaw for places that have been in a deep freeze for nearly two weeks. A slew of record low temperatures continue to be broken in Florida. Here are Monday's new record lows in the Shivering--I mean Sunshine--State:
Tallahassee 14 degrees
Jacksonville 17 degrees
Gainesville 17 degrees
Lakeland 23 degrees
Tampa 25 degrees
Orlando 29 degrees
Fort Myers 31 degrees
West Palm Beach 33 degrees
Miami 36 degrees
Key West 42 degrees (Interesting note: This is the 2nd coldest temperature ever recorded in Key West, with the coldest temperature being 41 degrees, which has only occurred twice!)

High pressure will build into the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic mid-week:

Under this ridge, Central Virginia will break 50-degrees in some spots by Wednesday, with others following suit Thursday and Friday. Richmond's warmest high temperature this month has been 43 degrees, which occurred on both the 1st and 6th. The last time Richmond International Airport recorded a high 50+ was December 27th, when we topped out at 53 degrees. We have also been below freezing every night since Dec 26th. Next Sunday morning, Richmond's low temperature looks like it will stay above the freezing mark.

Approaching Clipper System

A fast-moving "clipper" storm system is swinging out of central Canada into the Great Lakes region Monday morning, and will bring Central Virginia a slight chance for light snow showers overnight Monday until sunrise Tuesday. Moisture is limited with this storm, and because of the speed of the system, only a dusting of snow is possible in parts of Central Virginia. However, even a dusting can create some patchy slick spots on roads and sidewalks, which may impact the Tuesday morning drive.