After a strong cold front sweeps through the Commonwealth Friday morning, bringing rain and much cooler temperatures, skies will clear overnight into Saturday morning. With the colder air mass in place under clearing skies with lighter winds, temperatures are expected to fall to around freezing in much of Central Virginia. Richmond International Airport has not recorded a freezing temperature since March 9th (low temperature: 29 degrees), which if we do not have another freeze this season, could become a new record for the earliest last freeze (assuming we don't have a freeze the rest of Spring). The current record-holder for the earliest last Spring freeze is March 12, 1946. The average last Spring freeze in Richmond is April 8.
Saturday is a big day for Richmond with the enormously popular Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K Race. Temperatures at the start of the race at 8:30 a.m. will still be around freezing, and not reach 50 degrees until Noon. If you're planning to support the runners, I would advise layers! At least the runners will warm up pretty quickly once they get going. Dry and mostly sunny conditions are expected all day Saturday.
