Tropics Update Tuesday Morning

We are monitoring two areas of potential tropical genesis. One is close to the U.S. in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and started off as a broad, non-tropical low pressure system over the weekend around southern Florida and the Bahamas. This system could acquire tropical characteristics soon, though, and become either a tropical depression or storm within the next 48 hours, which is what most of the tropical forecast data indicates.

The track of this low appears to be headed for the Louisiana-Mississippi coast on Thursday.

The second area of shower and storm activity we are watching is in the central Atlantic and could also organize and strengthen into a tropical system soon. However, the track of that low will likely remain in the open Atlantic Ocean and not impact the U.S. The next tropical storm of the season will be named Danielle.

Virginia July 2010 Temperature and Precipitation Records

The official statistics for the Commonwealth from July 2010 were released today from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center. Virginia recorded its 5th hottest and 10th driest July on record, but much of the central Virginia region had its hottest July ever, including Richmond. However, the May through July average temperature for Virginia is the hottest on record. Much of the eastern and Southeast U.S. had abnormally hot and dry weather in July, while the Plains and upper Midwest dealt with heavy rain and severe weather events that led to wetter-than-average conditions and either average or slightly warmer-than-average temperatures.
Why was there such a discrepancy from the middle of the country to the East? Persistent high pressure plagued the southeast and eastern U.S. most of July, with storm tracks moving from the Plains into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes. Virginia, as we well know from our current drought conditions, was bypassed by most of these storm systems. The national average temperature for the contiguous U.S. was the 17th warmest on record.

Dense Fog Advisory Monday Morning

A Dense Fog Advisory will be in effect until 8 a.m. for part of central and southeast Virginia, where locally dense fog has developed early this Monday morning. Visibilities are being reduced below a quarter-mile in spots, especially in lower-lying locations. Skies have been clear overnight with light to calm winds, which helps fog develop. This morning's fog is in basically the same region as on Sunday morning. Use caution if you are driving in this part of the state this morning. Keep your headlights on the normal beam setting, slow down, and put extra space between you and surrounding vehicles. I expect the fog to begin dissipating between 8 and 9 a.m., with mostly clear skies the rest of today.