End of the Growing Season

A freeze is expected across the entire state of Virginia tonight, bringing the 2008 growing season to an end. The growing season has already ended across central and western Virginia, and eastern sections should see a killing freeze tonight. The official low temperature recorded at RIC has yet to reach 32 degrees, hitting a season-low of 35 Thursday morning. The low of 32 by Friday morning will be just about right on target for our average first freeze in Richmond. Temperatures will rebound nicely Friday afternoon, warming well into the mid and upper 60s.

Zach

Pictures Of Fall Foliage

Here are a few photos emailed to me of foliage across the area. This photo was taken near St. Mary's Hospital by Tammy Hinkle


Here is a photo from Lexington, VA taken by Melissa Cox

These last two were taken near Blue Ridge Parkway (the first is Crabtree Falls) - both taken by Paul Duffy.

Blustery Day Today

Winds will become gusty today as the storm system that brought us rain yesterday continues to move up the coast. Winds will be the strongest from noon to 5 PM - they will be sustained from the northwest 20 to 30 mph. Some gusts could be even stronger. It will remain breezy this evening, then winds will slowly diminish into tonight.

First Freeze Right on Schedule

With cold air continuing to pour into Virginia tonight, it appears as though Richmond will get it's first freeze of the season. Looking at the 30-year statistical averages (for the period 1971-2000), the average first freeze in Richmond is October 29th. That just happens to be the first day this season we have had 32 degrees as our forecast low. So we will see this Wednesday if Mother Nature will be right on schedule.

Zach

Cold Air Approaching

Skies were mainly clear with mild conditions for this morning. However, just to the west, changes are headed this way. Right now, it is cold enough in the higher elevations of the Blue Ridge to support a wintry mix. Check out the satellite/radar loop from earlier this morning.



The core of the cold air is just now entering into the Midwest where some areas were in the teens and 20s!



This air will descend into our area Tuesday and Wednesday. Although the air mass will moderate some, we will still see the coldest air of the season. Get those coats ready!

Half & Half Weekend

I just took a look at the latest data, and it continues to suggest we will have two very different days of weather over the upcoming weekend. Rain and a few thunderstorms is a near certainty for Saturday, but the storm system will move quickly northeastward, and Sunday appears to be a mostly sunny and mild day. The rain is much needed, with Richmond currently running a deficit of more than 2" this October. So make your indoor plans for Saturday and get outside on Sunday. A modified arctic air mass will move into the area Monday afternoon, bringing several days of chilly temperatures to the area.

Zach

Much Need Rainfall Headed This Way!

We are still tracking that storm system out west, which is dumping wet snow across western Nebraska (winter storm warnings are still in effect). We are also watching down to the south, where there is a lot of energy and moisture. Parts of the Gulf Coast has been experiencing very heavy rain...especially in Florida.



The storm out west will tap into this energy and moisture from the south and could dump a lot of rain across the Mid-Atlantic on Saturday. We are keeping a close eye on this scenario and will keep you posted.

I know this is bad timing by Mother Nature - bringing rain on the weekend - but we really need it!

Pocahontas Elementary School Visit

I headed west this morning, out HWY 60 to Powhatan, to speak with the fourth graders (and a few 1st graders) at Pocahontas Elementary School.  The group of about 150 students was very attentive and had plenty of good questions for me about the hows and whys of weather in central Virginia.  We covered everything from tornadoes and hurricanes to sleet and snow.  I took an alternate route back to Richmond, going north on Hwy 522 and then east on Hwy 6.  The Fall color is becoming more vibrant, and it looks like the next two to three weeks will be quite a show.  

Zach

Echo Lake Elementary School Visit

I went out to Echo Lake Elementary School today to talk to the 4th grade students about weather. The "Home of the Dolphins" is celebrating it's 10th year of existence this year, and the students gave me one of their commemorative t-shirts as a gift. Echo Lake is located in Henrico County, just west of Staples Mill Road and south of I-295. I'll be at a school again on Wednesday, this time in Powhatan County.



Zach

We Need More Rain!

You may have seen the stories from our morning news, but city leaders are thinking about mandating voluntary water restrictions to the area. Even though we saw some rain last Friday, things have been very dry for the past 30 days. You can see on the map below - most areas across Virginia are 1.5 to 3" below normal.



Interestingly we are not officially in drought conditions yet. In fact we are not even close.



However, if you check out the stream flow across the region, most rivers and streams are flowing below normal...including the James (orange/red dots are below normal).



This is a situation that we will continue to watch very closely. Luckily, the chances for rain are looking pretty good for Saturday!

Enhanced Fire Danger Expected Tuesday

A dry cold front will move through the area Tuesday, resulting in strong northwest winds in the range of 15-25 mph. The strong winds will combine with low relative humidity values to produce a potentially high fire threat across central Virginia Tuesday afternoon and early evening. Cooler temperatures and lighter winds will lessen the threat for wildfires on Wednesday.

Zach

Much Needed Rainfall

Light rain and drizzle will be possible across the area overnight, with a slow drying trend expected during the day Saturday. Most of the state picked up some much needed rainfall from this storm system. Below are a few rainfall totals through 6 PM from our Weather Watchers:

Amelia: .7"
Powhatan: .7"
Short Pump: .6"
Central Garage: .5"
Little Plymouth: .5"
Reedville: .4"
Louisa: .4"
Locust Grove: .4"
Charles City: .3"
Newland: .3"
Callao: .2"

Richmond's official rainfall total through 10 Pm is .66"

Zach

Showers Moving Across The Area

A batch of light rain is now moving over the area for this morning. Rain amounts will range from .1 to .25". We will have a chance for spotty light showers through the day. Be sure to check out live coverage at our Interactive Storm Room (live radar, live video of the weather center, live chat) for this morning. The link is on the front of our website at www.wtvr.com

Berkeley Elementary School Visit

I drove up to Partlow this afternoon in Spotsylvania County to speak with the students at Berkeley Elementary School. The group of roughly 200 students were very attentive as we discussed tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, winter weather, and various other topics related to my job. If you'd like me to come to your school, drop me a line at zdaniel@wtvr.com.

Zach

Average First Freeze Date

It's that time of year where we have to start thinking about our first freeze of the season. October 30th is the average date that Richmond will see 32° for the first time. The average date for Richmond's first hard freeze (28°) is November 8th.

Generally speaking, if you live west of Richmond, the dates will be earlier. If you live closer to the Chesapeake Bay, then the dates will be later.

Here is a link for all the details:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/akq/climate/FallFrostFreeze.htm

Omar Becomes a Major Hurricane

Maximum sustained winds in hurricane Omar have increased to 115 mph, making the storm a very dangerous category three hurricane. The storm will move northeast across far eastern Puerto Rico and the northern Leeward Islands tonight through early Thursday. Omar will then race northeastward into the central and eventually northern Atlantic Ocean over the weekend. Tropical depression #16 is now over Honduras and has very little organization. Heavy rain will continue to be possible with this area of low pressure, but no further updates will be issued from the National Hurricane Center. Neither of these systems will have an effect on the weather of the U.S. mainland.

Putting Things Into Perspective

Temperatures today will again rise above normal levels (normal high is 70). Although this may seem unusual, temperatures will typically fluctuate up and down through autumn. Just look at last October - we saw fourteen days with highs in the 80s...two were in the 90s! By the end of the month, overnight lows plummeted into the 30s.

Looking farther back, October 2006 had five days in the 80s and October 2005 had nine. So warm days like today are pretty normal.

To sum up - it's normal for the weather to be wacky in the month of October!

We Continue Through The Alphabet

Tropical Storm Omar was named ealier this morning. At this time, Omar poses no threat for the U.S. mainland. Regardless, we will keep a close eye on it and keep you posted. As always, you can track the tropics with our hurricane tracker!

Near-Record Warmth Expected Tuesday

A large ridge of high pressure will remain in place across the Mid-Atlantic through mid-week, resulting in near-record warmth on Tuesday. The record high for Tuesday is 86 degrees, set in 1975. This is not an Indian Summer, as by definition, an Indian Summer is an unusually warm period following the first killing frost or freeze. We have yet to see temperatures even close to freezing in the Richmond area this Fall. A cold front will bring the chance of showers and much cooler temperatures to the area by the end of the week.

Zach

Storms Keep Cranking Out In The Tropics

We are now at the letter "N" for this storm season. Tropical Storm Nana was named yesterday evening and is still drifting out in the central Atlantic for today. This storm is expected to dissipate in the next couple days, but we will continue to watch the situation and keep you informed!

Enjoy the Day!

The weekend is going to be beautiful. Expect sunny skies and temperatures to return to the upper 70s. There are a ton of activities today that includes the big JMU/U of R game football game which kicks off at 3:30. CBS 6 Anchor Shelby Brown says she will be screaming the loudest from the stand. You have been warned!
Also don't forget about the Richmond Folkfestival this weekend.

Jennifer

Halos and Rain Chances

I received a call tonight from a viewer asking the cause of the large ring around the moon this evening. The rings around the moon are called halos and are the result of moonlight being refracted by ice crystals that make up cirrus clouds high in the atmosphere. The same phenomenon can occur around the sun during the day. More than one halo can occasionally be seen, with the most common halo at 22 degrees in radius from the sun (as a reference, 90 degrees is the sky distance from directly overhead to the horizon). Folklore maintains that halos around the moon or sun means rain or snow should be expected in the next few days. This idea stems from the common occurrence of cirrus clouds a few days ahead of an approaching storm system. Tonight's cirrus clouds are associated with a storm system moving slowly away from the area, so in this case, a rain forecast based on Folklore would be wrong.

Zach

Friday Weather Update

Some areas are seeing fog, mist and drizzle to start off Friday. Most of this is located south of I-64 and should stay in these areas for the next few hours. Skies will gradually clear out by this afternoon and especially this evening. The weather this weekend is still looking great!

New Addition to the WTVR Family

My wife and I are the proud parents of Luke Henry Daniel, who was born on Sunday at 1:59 PM.  He weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. despite being a full 3 weeks early.  He and mom are doing great, and dad is hanging in there as well, although with bloodshot eyes.  His big sister has been as nice as we could have asked for, and is really more curious than anything else.  Thanks to all for the congratulatory e-mails and notes.  With high pressure building over the Mid-Atlantic, it looks like Luke will have to wait a while to see his first thunderstorm.

Zach

Update On Rainfall

We are still well above normal in rainfall for the year. We have been dry for the past few days, so a little rain would be a welcomed sight. We have a storm heading this way which could bring rain back to the area. I talk more about this storm in my forecast discussion...click here to check it out!

Marco Named In Gulf

We are now at the letter "M" with tropical storm names - Marco. This small but potent storm will affect the eastern coast of Mexico just north of Veracruz as it moves inland in the next few days.

Beautiful Monday

Monday is shaping up to be a beautiful afternoon, but cooler weather is just around the corner. Colder air will filter into the region overnight dropping low temperatures into the 40s.
Tuesday afternoon will be sunny and dry. Afternoon highs will struggle to make it to the 70 degree mark.

Jennifer

Sunburned On Sunday

I couldn't resist it - with sunny skies and warm conditions this weekend, I had to take a trip down to Virginia Beach and enjoy the weather (I have a sunburn to prove it!). I'm going to enjoy this nice weather as much as possible, because as you well know, things can quickly change during autumn.

Speaking of change, I just got done looking at the latest data, and it still looks like a piece of the large storm system out west could eject this way and give us some showers by the end of the workweek.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Beautiful Weekend Weather

There are so many outdoor activities this weekend across central Virginia. The good news is the weather will be perfect with sunshine and highs in the upper 70s. CBS 6 Weekend Morning Anchor, Shelby Brown plans to spend the day at the State Fair with her kids and husband. Her first stop will be Porky's BBQ for a wonderful Pork Parfait concoction of pulled pork, mashed potatoes and BBQ sauce. I will hunting out a funnel cake. Maybe I will see you there!

Jennifer

Perfect Weekend to be Outdoors

The latest data continues to suggest an ideal outdoor weekend in central Virginia. Expect lots of sunshine, warm temperatures, and light winds as high pressure remains dominant over the Mid-Atlantic. It appears as though we will have a reinforcing shot of cool air on Monday, and a chance of showers and thunderstorms on Friday. Have a great weekend!

Zach

Pinchbeck Visit

Here is a photo from a school visit I did this week at Raymond Pinchbeck Elementary School. This is Ms. Sherrill Kauffmann's fourth grade class.They had some really great weather questions. I had a blast! Plus they gave me a really pretty flower basket.

Jennifer

Another Tornado Confirmed from Friday's Storms

The National Weather Service conducted a survey of damage resulting from the severe thunderstorms last Friday, and determined that another EF-0 tornado moved through southeast Virginia. This was actually the first tornado of the day, occurring in an open field in Franklin, Virginia. The tornado was spawned by the same storm that later produced a tornado between Wakefield and Waverly.

Zach

New Addition To Our Website

Now that autumn is in full swing, we will be tracking the foliage across the area. Here is a map of current conditions - there already have been reports of some color up in parts of the Blue Ridge!



I have also included a map of the average peak colors for Virginia. Hopefully this will help you plan some excursions out into the mountains or countryside and enjoy the fall colors.



You can find both maps on our website by clicking on this link.

Tranquil Weather Expected for Several Days

The cold front has moved through central Virginia, and I expect clearing skies for the remainder of the night. Cool nights and mild afternoons will be the rule through the upcoming weekend. Check back tomorrow for details on a spectacular sight in the night sky.

Zach

Watch Cancelled

The portion of the severe thunderstorm watch that was in effect for southeast Virginia has been cancelled.

Zach

Severe Thunderstorm Watch in Effect Until 9 PM

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 9 PM for far southeast Virginia, including Southampton and Isle of Wight counties. Thunderstorms with winds in excess of 60 mph and hail dime-size and larger will be possible.

Zach