Tropical Depression Four: Monday Morning Update

Tropical Depression Four has formed far east in the open Atlantic Ocean, as it now has a closed circulation at the surface. This center is moving west-northwest at 17 mph with maximum sustained winds at 35 mph. This depression could strengthen some in the next day or so, becoming Tropical Storm Colin. No landmasses are threatened at this time or in the near future. By Saturday, the system should be somewhere southwest of Bermuda and northeast of the Bahamas. This far in advance, it is simply too soon to say whether the storm will impact the U.S. Atlantic Coastline, but with a track to the west-northwest, it will be watched!

Richmond Record Roundup

Extremely hot and dry weather continues to be the big story this Summer. As Aaron posted in a weekend blog entry, July was our hottest ever (and second hottest average temperature for any month) at Richmond International Airport with an average temperature of 82.8 degrees, breaking the old July record of 82.4 degrees from 1993. It was also a dry month with 1.19" reported at RIC, ranking in as our 4th driest July on record. We are now running 7.17" below average for year-to-date precipitation, which is why 75% of the state is now in drought.

Other facts:
*Average July 2010 high temperature: 94.8 degrees. Hottest on record for any month (also beat July 1993)
*High temperatures reached 100+ seven days: most for any month ever! (Old record was 6 days in July 1993 and July 1977)
*Tally for year-to-date 100 degree days: 10 (Most ever)
*High temperatures reached 95+: 18 days (Most ever in any month. Old record was 17 days in August 1980)

On the heels of our hottest June on record, this marks the hottest June-July period ever with a combined average temperature of 81.9 degrees. This is also the driest June-July period on record with just 2.01" combined.