Tracking Two Storm Systems

Two storm systems will bring an opportunity for rain to Central Virginia over the next week. The first will be a chance for showers (a quarter-inch of rain or less) as a cold front passes through the state on Monday. As of Saturday night, that front is moving through the Midwest and Plains. (See map below...click to enlarge.)

A second system will bring us another opportunity for rain Wednesday. Our Wednesday storm system is currently over the Southwest U.S. and is now cut-off from the upper flow that will steer the Midwest system toward us Monday. The Southwest low will gradually make eastward progress early this week, passing through the Southeast U.S. toward Virginia by Wednesday. This system looks like it will be the stronger of the two, with very gusty winds and heavy rain (1"-3") possible from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning. Here is a snapshot of what the system will look like around 1 a.m. Thursday:

See that tight pressure gradient over the Commonwealth? That should lead to wind gusts around 35-40mph from late Wednesday into Thursday morning.

Space Station Viewing Tonight

A great International Space Station viewing will occur tonight in Richmond from about 5:29-5:34 p.m. Just look Northwest to Southeast as the ISS passes directly overhead. Look for a bright white dot moving smoothly across the sky (at about 17,227 mph!). The ISS orbits the Earth 15.7 times per day at an altitude between 173 mi and 286 mi.

A few clouds may occasionally obscure your view of the Space Station, but skies will generally be clear enough to spot the light this evening. If you want to find the specific viewing opportunity for your location, click here.

Rainfall Overnight

Showers and thunderstorms moved through the state overnight with a strong cold frontal passage, and produced around an inch of rain in spots. Here are some totals:
Mostly sunny skies are expected the rest of Black Friday, with winds picking up from the Northwest at 15-25mph, gusting to 30mph at times. Skies will remain clear overnight with weakening winds, allowing temperatures in Central Virginia to fall into the low-30s with spots around freezing early Saturday morning.