Check River Levels & Swim Safe (And Legal!)

After several folks had to be rescued Monday on the James River in Richmond (click here for the story), it's probably a good time to remind you that you have to wear a life jacket if you swim in the James and the water level is higher than five feet. The water level was above five feet when the river rescues occurred.

So before you go for a refreshing dip in any river in Virginia this Summer, stay safe (and legal) by checking the river levels before you go. Here is a link to river level measurement sites across the Commonwealth: http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/?m=real&r=va&w=map
Mouse over any of the dots, and you'll see more information about that location on a river. Click on the dot for more detailed information, including graphs of water level rises and falls recently. Stay safe and check the levels before you swim!
--Carrie

Weekend Heat Wave

High pressure continues to sit just off the coast of Virginia and North Carolina, allowing a very warm air mass to linger in the region with highs this weekend in the 90's. The heat wave will continue Monday, and weaken only slightly Tuesday. Big changes will arrive Wednesday, though, ending the Summer-like stint of weather.

Here's a recap of the actual highs in Richmond this weekend, with the records to beat (which we didn't):

Saturday, April 25:
Actual High: 92 degrees
Record High: 96 (1925)

Sunday, April 26:
Actual High: 91 degrees
Record High: 96 (1960)

Monday, April 27:
Forecast High: 90 degrees
Record High: 96 (1990)

Here is a recap of some of the other high temperatures in Virginia this weekend:
Petersburg: Saturday 93 degrees; Sunday 93 degrees
Farmville: Saturday 93 degrees ; Sunday 93 degrees
Fredericksburg: Saturday 96 degrees; Sunday 95 degrees
Charlottesville: Saturday 91 degrees; Sunday 89 degrees
Emporia: Saturday 93 degrees; Sunday 93 degrees
South Hill: Saturday 91 degrees; Sunday 91 degrees
Danville: Saturday 91 degrees; Sunday 90 degrees
Williamsburg: Saturday 95 degrees; Sunday 93 degrees
West Point: Saturday 93 degrees; Sunday 93 degrees
Tappahannock: Saturday 91 degrees; Sunday 91 degrees
Lynchburg: Saturday 91 degrees; Sunday 91 degrees
Roanoke: Saturday 91 degrees; Sunday 89 degrees
Stafford: Saturday 95 degrees; Sunday 95 degrees
Norfolk: Saturday 90 degrees; Sunday 90 degrees
Virginia Beach: Saturday 90 degrees; Sunday 91 degrees
Hampton: Saturday 89 degrees; Sunday 89 degrees

Many of these highs were near records for late April.
--Carrie

New Feature On SPC Website

I just found a new feature on the Storm Prediction Center's website. Now you can plot any severe weather storm report (tornado, wind, hail) for any time period dating back to 1950!

For instance, here is a map I created that plots all the tornadoes across the United States last year:

You can also zoom in on the map...here is Virginia:

Try it yourself, here's the link!

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/online/sp3/plot.php