The Rain is Gone...For Now

Thunderstorms with heavy rain moved through much of eastern and southeastern Virginia Friday afternoon and evening, with estimates of 2-3" of rain across southern Brunswick county. The upper level feature that contributed to the widespread showers and thunderstorms has moved off the Mid-Atlantic coast, which will give us a temporary break from the rain. Another upper level disturbance will bring a good chance of showers and storms to central Virginia on Sunday. Thanks to Paul Duffy from the River's Bend community for the fantastic sunset photo.

Severe Weather Threat Diminishing

Storms continue to weaken across the area. Isolated thunderstorms will be possible in the Northern Neck and into the southeast corner of the state for the next couple hours. A stray shower will be possible in central VA, but the chances for thunderstorms are very slim.

New Severe Thunderstorm Watch

A new Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for all of Central Virginia and is in effect until 9 PM this evening.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

Severe Thunderstorm Watch in effect until 9 PM for Northeast Virginia.

Strong to Severe Storms Possible Friday

Another upper-level storm system will track through the region Friday, bringing the opportunity for strong to severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening in Central Virginia. The surface low pressure system associated with the upper disturbance will track just to the west of the mountains in western Virginia, and continue to our North and Northeast this afternoon and evening.

This path will keep Southerly and Southwesterly flow into the Commonwealth, with dew point temperatures in the low to mid 70's (indicating ample low-level moisture to fuel newly developing thunderstorms) and bring sufficient lift over the state for strong to severe thunderstorms.

The primary threat out of these storms will be strong, straight-line winds. However, an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out, and some storms may also produce large hail.

Unprecedented Heat in the Pacific Northwest!

It has been not just hot, nor incredibly hot, but never-before-recorded hot in the Pacific Northwest this week. Wednesday, the high temperature in Seattle at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport reached 103 degrees. This was the hottest temperature ever recorded on any day at the airport. Previously, the all-time hottest temperature at that measurement site was 100 degrees, which occurred on July 20, 1994.

Another measurement site in Seattle at Sandpoint climbed even higher, to 105 degrees on Wednesday! This was another new all-time record at that site, where the previous hottest temperature was 96 also on July 20, 1994.

So what's the big deal? Why all the fuss about the heat in this part of the country? Well, clearly this is unusual for the Pacific Northwest. Average high temperatures this time of year in Seattle are around 77 degrees. That is comfortable enough to go without air conditioning year-round. So many residences do not have A/C in this part of the country. That makes for dangerous heat!

Meanwhile, from the Great Lakes into the Northeast, Summer temperatures have been running below average. Here's an interesting perspective on Chicago's cooler-than-average July.

We have been about average this summer in Central Virginia, as ample moisture and the dip in the jetstream just to our west keep us from extreme heat or extreme coolness. We've had typical heat and humidity for the Summer months, with afternoon and evening showers and storms that develop almost like clock-work. For July-to-date in Richmond, our average temperature is just a degree below average, and we've had only one truly sweltering day this month when the hottest high all Summer occurred this past Sunday, July 26 at 97 degrees. June's average temperature in Richmond was about 2 degrees above average, with the hottest high reaching 95 degrees on June 20.
--Carrie

Wednesday Storm Recap

It was an interesting day of weather in Virginia. Scattered thunderstorms developed once again in the Commonwealth this afternoon, but we didn't have a great enough threat for a watch, and the only storms that reached severe levels were in the Hampton Roads area. But we did have a couple of tornado warnings. A strong storm developed in Louisa county and moved through Spotsylvania county, becoming potentially tornadic as it crossed the the western edge of Lake Anna. A persistent mesocyclone was evident on Doppler Max 6 with this storm, but there have been no reports of any touchdown or wind damage of any kind. We'll follow up on the storm reports tomorrow and let you know if anything is reported.

More Severe Storms Possible Wednesday

As Zach explained in the previous blog posting, we continue our streak of severe weather days, nearing the week mark today. Once again, we will have the opportunity for strong to severe storms in Central Virginia in the afternoon and evening. This time, not only do we have the heat and moisture in place for afternoon convection, but an upper-level disturbance will also be passing through the region creating additional lift and shear that can lead to storms with wind damage and possibly isolated tornadoes. Some large hail is also possible with the strongest storms. We'll be monitoring the threat very closely today.

--Carrie

6 Straight Days of Severe Weather...and Counting.

Today was the 6th straight day we have had severe thunderstorms in central Virginia, and we have a good chance of that streak continuing on Wednesday. This time of year usually brings us our highest number of severe events, with more tornadoes reported in July than any other month (outside of hurricane-spawned tornadoes). Rich low-level moisture and a steady stream of weak upper-level disturbances embedded within southwesterly flow will bring at least a slight chance of strong to severe thunderstorms to central Virginia over through the next 7 days. Thanks to CBS 6 viewer Matt Baker for sending in the above photo of lightning near New Kent today.

Big Bark, Little Bite

Numerous severe thunderstorms developed on Monday afternoon across southern, eastern, and southeastern Virginia. Despite the widespread coverage of the severe storms, only a few strong wind gusts were reported out by the Bay, and there was just one report of downed trees in Brunswick county. We'll get a break from the widespread stormy weather on Tuesday, as only a few isolated storms are expected. An upper-level wave will move through the area on Wednesday, bringing another round of strong to severe storms to the area.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch Thru 8 p.m.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect through 8 p.m. for Central, South-central, and Southeastern Virginia (all counties highlighted in pink from the National Weather Service). Thunderstorms are expected to develop and intensify this afternoon, and be capable of producing damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rain that can lead to flash flooding. Stay with CBS 6, we'll keep you ahead of the storm.
--Carrie

More Thunderstorms Expected Monday

More thunderstorms are expected in much of Central Virginia from lunchtime through Monday evening. Afternoon dewpoint temperatures are expected to remain in the upper 60's and low 70's, indicating ample low-level moisture, and air temperatures should climb into the mid- to upper-80's this afternoon. The warmth and humidity will combine as fuel for afternoon thunderstorms as the lower atmosphere destabilizes.

Most of the storms should remain below severe limits, but still be strong with wind gusts to 40mph, small hail, frequent lightning, and heavy rain that can lead to flash flooding. A few of these storms may become marginally severe with hail up to the size of pennies or nickels, and damaging wind gusts above 60mph. This threat does warrant a slight risk area for much of Central and Eastern Virginia this afternoon and evening.

Overnight Thunderstorms Not Severe, But Still Loud!

Unless you are a sound sleeper, you probably heard the thunderstorms rolling through Central Virginia overnight. None were severe, but they certainly had a lot of heavy rain and lightning! In fact, these storms produced around 3/4 of an inch as they moved through. At Richmond International Airport, 0.8" of rain was recorded between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.

These scattered storms have continued to move eastward through the state through the early, pre-dawn hours, but have never strengthened to become severe. Still, though, they continue to produce heavy rainfall that leads to brief flooding, frequent lightning, gusty winds to 40 mph, and small hail at times.
--Carrie

Scattered Showers Overnight

Showers and isolated thunderstorms continue to develop across the area. I'm expecting this trend to continue for the next few hours, then showers will taper by early Monday morning. Another round of rain will then return late Monday morning and into the afternoon.

Power Outages

Still quite a few people without power, especially in northern Chesterfield County.

Hail Photos

This was sent in by Brian and Tara Mancini of Lakepoint. this hail caused damage to several cars in the area.

Here is another photo taken by Coleman Epps of Woodlake

Isolated Thunderstorms Still Possible

We still have a few showers and thunderstorms lingering along and south of I-64. In addition, some showers in the Blue Ridge are slowly drifting this way. Although rain is still in the forecast, the threat for severe or damaging storms is low.

Photos

Be sure to send all photos to me at ajustus@wtvr.com and I will use them on air for the 6:30 PM newscast.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch Until 9 PM

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for most of central and eastern Virginia and is in effect until 9 PM. The strongest storms will be capable of damaging winds and very large hail. Although the threat is low, a brief weak tornado could also form.

Sunday's Severe Potential

A cool front will move into the area early this afternoon and ignite a few thunderstorms between 1 to 3 PM.


(Surface dew points and winds)

There is plenty of energy in the atmosphere to fuel these storms, so they could rapidly become severe.


(Surface-based CAPE)

The strongest storms will be capable of damaging winds and hail as large as quarters. More than likely these storms will gel into a squall line and race into the Atlantic later tonight. We will be tracking this through the day and will have more updates in the afternoon.

Summer Pattern Developing

It's been a relatively mild Summer thus far, with below normal temperatures and humidity levels.  It looks like that is about to change.  A Bermuda High will develop over the next several days, which will bring a steady flow of moisture into central Virginia.  The result will be dew points increasing from the low 60s to the low 70s over the next few days, which will have a considerable effect on the comfort factor of our weather.  Expect lows at night to stay in the low 70s and highs to top out near 90.  Occasional disturbances embedded within a persistent southwest flow regime will trigger showers and thunderstorms each afternoon and evening.  We will be in somewhat of a weather "rut" over the next week or so.

Close Call

A strong low pressure system *just* missed us off the coast. It had an impressive center of circulation, but never developed enough tropical characteristics to become a named storm. It will continue to weaken as it moves up the coast towards New England.

Talk About a Tropical Downpour!

As a disorganized tropical area of convection continues to hug the Atlantic Coastline, it is bringing some heavy showers and storms to regions near the ocean. Yesterday evening, Wednesday, July 22, one such thunderstorm moved inland toward Columbia, South Carolina. From about 10:30 p.m. to Midnight, 3.77" of rain fell at Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Yowza! This did demolish the old daily rain record for July 22, which was a long-standing one at that. The old record rainfall for July 22 at Columbia, SC was 2.24" set back in 1896.

This same disorganized area of convection is passing just to Virginia's east in the Atlantic Thursday, and has brought a few heavy showers to far east-central Virginia so far this morning.
--Carrie

Watch the Spacewalk Live Today

NASA Astronauts will perform another spacewalk today, beginning at about 11 a.m. ET. You can watch the spacewalk live online from NASA TV here. This is the third spacewalk of the Endeavour mission, and astronauts will replace some batteries on the International Space Station's Solar Array power channel.

Tropics Trying To Awaken?

There are two areas of convection ongoing in the Tropics this morning, one in the Eastern Caribbean, and another Southeast of Florida over the Bahamas in the Atlantic. However, the odds are against these two areas of convection because of high pressure in the vicinity of #2, and too much wind shear in the upper levels over #1. In fact, too much shear in the atmosphere is a sign of the El Nino conditions in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific. During El Nino hurricane seasons, tropical cyclone development can be suppressed because storms are unable to organize in the shear tearing the circulation apart. So indications are that the Tropics are trying to get their hurricane season act together...but perhaps El Nino is going to prevent storms from organizing and strengthening.

Scattered Showers & Storms

Scattered showers and thunderstorms continue to move northward through Central Virginia Monday. The strongest storms have frequent lightning, small hail, gusty winds to 30-40mph, and very heavy rainfall that can lead to flooding of poorly drained locations. Most of these storms should remain below severe limits, but these thunderstorms are still dangerous because of the lightning and downpours. Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck, so remain inside!

Storm chances will linger through this afternoon, and return again Tuesday from mid-day through the evening.
--Carrie

Mmmmm, Cookies...

Low temperatures this morning ranged from the mid 50s to low 60s. The official low in Richmond was 61, which was three degrees shy of the record low!

In my previous blog entry I mentioned how people in the Midwest are dealing with intense summer heat. Well, they are not the only ones - we ran an interesting story during our morning newscast about hot weather in Redding CA. It was so hot, a local meteorologist tried to bake cookies in his car.

When I saw the video, my jaw dropped (you'll see the smile on my face). This story was from the TV station I worked at a couple years ago. What a blast from the past!

Where's The Heat?

Last July we had sixteen days in the 90s, while this July we have only seen three. Temperatures were warmer than average for late spring and early summer, indicated on the map below:



But temperatures for the past thirty days have been generally below average.



So it makes you wonder, where is the summer heat? Things have been exceptionally hot out west in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and parts of Arkansas and Kansas. Average temperatures have been above normal for the past thirty days!

Two EF1 Tornadoes Confirmed in Pittsylvania County

The NWS survey team in Blacksburg, Virginia concluded that an EF1 tornado touched down 4 miles north of Pittsville, in Pittsylvania county. The tornado was on the ground from 10:48 AM to 10:50 AM, traveling 7 tenths of a mile with a maximum path width of 75 yards. The estimated maximum wind speeds ranged from 86 to 110 mph. There were no injuries or fatalities from this tornado. A second tornado was on the ground from 11:02 to 11:04 near the town of Hurt, just south of Altavista. This tornado was 150 yards wide, with a path of 6 tenths of a mile, and maximum wind speeds of 86-95 mph. There were no injuries or fatalities from this tornado.

Isolated Showers/Storms Possible Overnight

A cool front will move through the area tonight, and with low-level moisture in place, a few showers and storms will be possible overnight. The strongest showers and storms will have gusty winds and some small hail, as well as the potential for localized flooding. Any activity that does develop should clear central Virginia by sunrise Saturday.

Quiet For Now

Most of the rain has now moved into the Middle Peninsula and Virginia Beach. Isolated showers and thunderstorms are developing along and west of the Blue Ridge. These are moving in our direction, so we can't completely rule out one or two more showers this evening and early tonight.

Tornado Watch Until 7 PM

This lone storm has been showing signs of rotation, so a Tornado Watch is in effect until 7 PM for locations in southeast Virginia.

One Strong Storm

We are tracking a severe thunderstorm that is currently moving through southern Amelia, Nottoway and Lunenburg counties. There is an incredible amount of lightning associated with this storm. In addition, you can expect very heavy rain and possibly damaging winds as it passes.

This storm will affect the southside of metro Richmond, Chesterfield and Dinwiddie counties over the next hour.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch Until 5 p.m.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for much of Central Virginia until 5 p.m. for thunderstorms capable of damaging winds and large hail. Torrential rainfall is also possible with the heaviest storms, and frequent lightning can be expected.

In addition, brief, isolated tornadoes are also possible with these storms.

Stay with CBS 6, we'll keep you ahead of the storm.

--Carrie

Severe Storms Possible Friday

Here is an update on the risk area for severe storms this afternoon and evening. As you can see, the entire Commonwealth is included in the risk. A deepening trough will swing into the Eastern U.S. today, with an associated surface front that will sweep through the state tonight. Ahead of that system, strong to severe storms are likely to develop by early afternoon in Central Virginia, and continue through the evening. As ample lift and moisture will be in place, severe storms are likely, capable of damaging winds, torrential rain, and even an isolated tornado or two. In response to the approaching upper-level storm, a surface low will form in south-central Virginia this afternoon, and track east this evening. It is near this low pressure center where brief, isolated tornadoes will be possible.

Stay with CBS 6, we'll keep you ahead of the storm.

Chance for Severe Weather Friday

A strong storm system and associated cold front will move through the Commonwealth Friday, bringing a good chance for thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. Some of the strongest storms may be severe, with damaging winds and large hail being the primary threats. However, the risk for an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. We'll be watching this system very closely over the next 24 hours!

--Carrie

Unusually Cool Morning

Wednesday morning had a bit of coolness to it, even a borderline chill by some standards. Morning lows ran about five to ten degrees below average for July 15. Skies were clear overnight, and relatively dry air was still in place after the cold front early Tuesday. Temperatures this morning were able to drop in the drier air into the 50's and low 60's in Central Virginia, even setting a new record low at Danville. Folks in Danville this morning woke up to a low temperature of 57 degrees, which ties the previous record low from 1978 for July 15.

Here are some other morning low temperatures in the state:
Richmond 61 (average morning low for July 15 is 68)
Petersburg 55
Wakefield 56
Roanoke 59
Lynchburg 54 (average morning low for July 15 is 64)
Fredericksburg 60 (average morning low for July 15 is 65)
Emporia 53 (average morning low for July 15 is 66)
Williamsburg 62 (average morning low for July 15 is 67)

...This is July, right?

Pretty Pleasant Summer So Far

If it feels to you like our Summer in Richmond so far hasn't been that hot, you are correct...sort of. Our Summer so far has been about average, if you are looking at just the high temperatures.

July 2009: Average High (to date) 86 degrees.
Average July Highs: 87-88 degrees.

June 2009: Average High 85 degrees.
Average June Highs: 81(early June)-86(late June) degrees.

Probably why so many of us feel as though this Summer has not been as oppressive is because high dewpoint temperatures have not often coincided with excessively hot air temperatures (i.e., high Relative Humidity in heat). In fact, only a handful of days have been truly "hot" this Summer. The hottest temperature Richmond International Airport has recorded is 95 degrees on June 20. In July, afternoon temperatures have only climbed to 94 degrees on the 12th so far. We've only had a dozen 90-degree days so far this year...

90-degree days Year-to-Date: 12 through July 13 (2 in July, 7 in June, 0 in May, 3 in April).
On average (records from 1897-2000), Richmond has 39 90-degree-days per year.

Of course, we still have the rest of July, August, and September in which we can historically get some pretty warm temperatures in the Commonwealth. But, we do have a lot of ground to cover if we're going to meet that average 90-degree-days mark! By the end of this week, though, we will likely surpass the years on record for fewest 90-degree-days. The fewest 90-degree-days years occurred in 1971, 1927, 1917, all with only 14 days each year reaching that mark.

So perhaps the reason this Summer has felt so pleasant is the fact we have not experienced extremes, whether too much rain or to little, too hot temperatures, or too cold. Goldilocks would approve...this Summer so far has been just right.
--Carrie

Great Shot!

Here's a great picture taken of the severe storm that moved through Henrico County Sunday night. This photo was snapped by Paul Stevenson Jr. Thanks, Paul!

As that thunderstorm moved through the Richmond area, it dumped up to half an inch of rain. The airport officially recorded 0.51" from that storm and an earlier shower that moved over RIC.
--Carrie

More Photos

Here is more damage from Lancaster.

And a snapped tree in Short Pump.

Richmond Recap

A powerful storm also blasted through metro Richmond from 8 to 9 PM. This storm had some weak rotation, but luckily nothing materialized. Nonetheless, it was still a menacing storm that caused a lot of wind damage and hail as big as half-dollars!

Middle Peninsula Recap

Here is the radar image from the storm that moved through the Middle Peninsula from 5 to 6 PM. This storm produced a waterspout at 5:31 near Poquoson. Notice the hook on this storm as well...

Northern Neck Recap

Here are the radar images from the storm in the Northern Neck from 2 to 3 PM. Notice the notch or "hook" formation along the southern end of the radar echoes, indicating strong rotation.





This storm produced widespread wind damage - National Weather Service may investigate to see if it was produced by a tornado. Here are some photos taken in Irvington by Casy Reynolds.

Wow, What A Day!

I was going to post the list of damage from today's storms, but it was too long! You can check it out at the following link if you are interested.

http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=AKQ&issuedby=AKQ&product=LSR&format=CI&version=1&glossary=1

Strong Thunderstorms In The Area

Thunderstorms have developed across the northern half of VA this afternoon. The strongest storm moved across the Northern Neck and produced quarter-sized hail and damaging winds. We've received reports from Lancaster County and Essex County that many trees are down and that some roads are shut down.

Severe storms will be possible across the entire area for the rest of this afternoon and evening.

Heat Building Out West

Check out the high temperatures from today. While we are enjoying somewhat comfortable conditions here in the Mid-Atlantic, they are frying out west in parts of Texas, Kansas and Arkansas! We should tap into some of that heat by the middle of the upcoming workweek. We will be watching this closely in the coming days, so stay tuned!

Showers Diminishing

A had a few showers and thunderstorms pop up this afternoon and evening, especially west of I-95. Most of the rain has tapered and the majority of tonight will remain dry.

El Nino: Impact on Virginia?

In case you missed Zach's El Nino explainer Thursday night, here's the scoop. Impacts on North American weather patterns are mild to non-existent during our Summer and early Fall. However, there have been some indications over the years that during an El Nino event, tropical cyclone activity is suppressed in the Atlantic and Caribbean basins. This is as a result of increased wind shear as you go upward in the atmosphere in the tropics. This shear essentially tears the circulation of a developing cyclone apart, preventing it from "getting its act together."

Once the Northern Hemisphere moves into the Winter months, though, El Nino can have significant impacts on our weather patterns. At this time, it does appear that this newly developed El Nino will last through the end of the year. So what does this mean for Virginia?

Historic El Nino events have meant drier than average precipitation in the Fall in Virginia, and in early Winter, slightly warmer than average temperatures. (Click to enlarge images)


As you go deeper into Winter, there have been cooler temperatures and more snow from December through March in Central Virginia, based on 12 previous moderate El Nino events. So as you can see, El Nino's impacts do depend significantly on the Northern Hemisphere season in which the El Nino occurs.

You can read the entire discussion of the current ENSO analysis here.

El Nino Is Back

It's been roughly three years since we've seen El Nino (a warm ocean current off the western coast of South America). Here are the current water conditions:



Zach will talk about the potential impacts of El Nino for central Virginia during the 6 and 11 PM newscasts this evening. Check it out!

Weather Extremes From Alaska to Texas

Weather in the Commonwealth may be within reason of what is considered average for July (morning lows in the upper 60's, afternoon highs in the mid- to upper-80's), but other parts of the U.S. are experiencing weather extremes, some of which haven't been seen in years. In fact, it's been hotter in Alaska than Virginia this week!

Take a look at the upper level map from Wednesday evening.

Upper-level ridges of high pressure over Alaska and Texas have been leading to record high temperatures this week in both states. In fact on Wednesday, Fairbanks, Alaska set a new record for July 8 of 91 degrees at the Fairbanks International Airport, which was the first time in nearly 15 years that the temperature was 90+! The last time Fairbanks was this hot was August 5, 1994, when the temperature reached 90 degrees. Here are a few other record highs set in Alaska on Wednesday:

Galena 90

Kake 79

Juneau 78

In South Texas, record highs are being set in many cities in the 100's. However, Summer highs like this do occur often in this region, especially in the drier, more desert-like regions of the state. Here's a sample of the new records from yesterday in Texas:

Lubbock 106 (old record from 1998)

Austin 105 (not this hot on July 8 since 1939!)

McAllen 104 (not that impressive, considering they were that hot in 2005 on this date)

Midland 103 (old record from 1998)

Corpus Christi 99 (broke a record from 1947!)

One other weather extreme of note occurred Wednesday in Charleston, SC, where 4.15" fell, breaking the old record for July 8 of 2.84" in 1950. Very heavy thunderstorms moved through the city last night, dumping rain at a rate of nearly 2" per hour. Yowza!

--Carrie

Two More Great Space Station Viewings

After a slew of great International Space Station viewing opportunities in Central Virginia this week, there will be two more excellent sightings this week. One will be Wednesday night from 9:56-10:01 p.m. (look WSW to NE, about halfway above the horizon). If you're an early riser, you could catch the Thursday morning viewing from 4:20-4:26 a.m. (look NW to SE overhead).
For a full list of viewing opportunities in Richmond, click here. And for other cities in Virginia, click here.

ISS Doesn't Disappoint

The International Space Station (ISS) streaked brilliantly across central Virginia earlier this evening, and was visible for more than 5 minutes. It was considerably brighter than last night, probably due to a better reflective angle from the sun and slightly clearer skies. I fielded a number of viewer calls and e-mails from viewers that were able to catch the ISS as well. If you missed it tonight, there will be another good opportunity to see it Wednesday night. We'll have the details here on the blog and on CBS 6. Have a great night!

Flurry Of Space Station Viewings This Week

After all the fireworks this weekend celebrating the 4th of July, I'm feeling a bit of light-show withdrawal. Just in time to satisfy that craving for more lights in the sky, the International Space Station is stepping up to provide a flurry of fly-bys over the next week!

The International Space Station will make multiple passes over Virginia this week with great viewing opportunities.

UPDATE:

Tuesday night viewing opportunities are:

9:32-9:37 p.m. (look SW to ENE)

11:08-11:12 p.m. (look WNW to NNE, low on the horizon)

Here's a full list of Richmond Sighting Opportunities. The Space Station will look like a bright white dot, not shimmering or flashing like a star would, moving smoothly across the sky.

For viewing opportunities in other cities in Virginia, click here. Or, if you prefer to plot your location, you can use NASA's SkyWatch program here. It does require Java.

It does look like much of Central Virginia will have partly cloudy to mostly clear skies this week, so many folks should be able to catch at least one of the ISS fly-bys.
--Carrie

Rain Totals

We still have some lingering showers across the area, but here are the totals so far:



Richmond received around .25 to .5", while the deep shades of blue in northern Henrico and central Hanover represent .5 to 1". The green you see to the west represents over 2" of rain for southern Palmyra, northern Buckingham and southern Albemarle counties!

Showers will dissipate tonight and patchy fog and mist will linger into early tomorrow morning.

Good News!

Showers are shifting south and slowly dissipating. An isolated shower will still be possible this evening, but now would be a good time to head out and throw that burger on the grill!

Soggy Start To The Day

I will start with the bad news - rain will be likely on-and-off for the rest of today. The rain will occasionally let up, so maybe you can quickly sneak outside and enjoy part of your day.

Now with the good news - we need the rain. The past couple weeks have been mainly dry so any moisture is a welcomed sight. We could easily pick up .5 to 1" of rain once this storm system exits later tonight.

Train Vs. Tornado

This video has been making its rounds on the Internet recently, even though it happened on January 7, 2008. Nonetheless, it is very interesting, check it out!

This tornado moved across parts of northern Illinois and was as strong as an EF-3 at times. Here's the path:

You can find out more at the following link:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/?n=20080107tor

Showers Headed This Way

Rain has now entered into the Blue Ridge and is headed this way for tonight. It's moving slow enough that you can watch fireworks this evening without worrying about getting wet...which is great news! Showers will enter into the Piedmont around 11 PM and then central VA afterwards.

Independence Day Forecast Update

The first half of the holiday weekend should be partly cloudy and pleasant, with temperatures near seasonable averages. Afternoon highs Friday and Saturday will be in the mid- to upper-80's, with morning temperatures in the mid-60's. Saturday evening, there will be a slight chance for a couple of isolated showers and storms popping up, but these should be of the hit-or-miss variety.

By early Sunday, though, our next storm system will be moving into the state, bringing more widespread chances for showers and thunderstorms. A few of those storms may be severe across the southern third of the state, with damaging winds and large hail possible. At this time, it looks like the rain and storms should exit the Commonwealth by late Sunday night.

Have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July!

Ashland/Doswell Wall Cloud

A supercell thunderstorm moved from extreme western Hanover county through southern Caroline county Wednesday night. A persistent circulation indicated by doppler radar prompted tornado warnings as the storm moved between Ashland and Doswell, very close to Kings Dominion. A CBS 6 viewer known only by "Kevin" snapped the above photo as the storm moved by. The photo was taken facing north, and the storm was moving from left to right (west to east). As you can see from the picture, the wall coud extended very low to the ground, and on Doppler Max 6, there was a well-organized mesocyclone evident. We are fortunate this one didn't produce a tornado.

Gullywashers Wednesday Night

Strong to severe thunderstorms moved through Central Virginia Wednesday night, pounding the Ashland area with penny size hail, downing some tree limbs in other parts of the state, and dumping nearly three-quarters of an inch of rain in half an hour on one of our Weather Watchers in Coatesville. There was a Tornado Warning issued on the storm near Ashland last night, but no touchdown was confirmed.

Here are some of the rain totals from the storms Wednesday:
Coatesville 0.7" in 30 minutes
Reedville 0.6"
Fredericksburg 0.41"
Richmond Intl Airport 0.37"
Newland 0.2"
Locust Grove 0.2"
Farmville 0.16"
Wakefield 0.07"