Heat & Storms

ANOTHER 100° DAY

We hit 100° for the second day in a row across much of the area today. Richmond International Airport officially hit 101°, which was 2 degrees shy of the record. Heat index values during the afternoon ranged from about 100 to 120°.

GUSTY STORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL

Strong and a few severe thunderstorms moved through the area between 3 and 7 pm. Thunderstorm wind damage was reported in Amelia, where some trees were down.
The slow-moving storms dropped heavy rainfall in some spots. The heaviest estimates from doppler radar showed some 2-3"+ totals across a large portion of Hanover county.

While the muggy environment provided ample fuel for torrential rainfall, the storms were scattered enough that many locations did not even see one drop of rain.

HUGE TEMPERATURE DROP

The thunderstorms also provided a temporary cooling effect. CBS 6's Wayne Covil drove from the James River Bridge to the I-64/Broad St/Parham Rd area just after 5:30pm. He reported that the temperature dropped from 98° to 78° in a span of about 15 minutes as he traveled westward.

THE HEAT CONTINUES

We will see just a very minor drop in temperatures for Sunday. Highs should fall just short of 100°. The combination of heat and humidity will produce heat index values between 100-110° -- slightly less than the past few days. For this reason, the excessive heat warning has expired and been replaced with a heat advisory for Sunday.

MINOR RELIEF IN SIGHT

A cold front will pass through the area Monday night and Tuesday, allowing less humid air to filter into the area. Highs will be just a bit cooler (lower 90s) and humidity levels should drop a bit (dew points dropping from the mid 70s to the low/mid 60s). This will be short-lived, however -- an increase in heat and humidity will return by the end of the week.

Excessive Heat Warning is in effect through Saturday

An Excessive Heat Warning is now in effect through Saturday for most of the Commonwealth, when late morning through early evening heat index values will commonly range 108 - 115 degrees (in the shade). If you're in the sun, it can feel another 10 to 15 degrees hotter on top of that heat index value because of the added sensory warming from radiation (sunshine) heating on your skin.

If you do have outdoor activities that need to be done into the weekend, please complete your tasks (when possible) before 10AM each day. Even in the evening, the heat index will still be dangerous!
Click here to learn more about the Heat Index and how to remain safe during the next few dangerously hot and humid days.
Stay with CBS6, we'll keep you ahead of the storm.
--Meteorologist Carrie Rose

Excessive heat will affect most of Virginia

As expected, the Excessive Heat Watch has been expanded farther into central Virginia, and for a longer time-frame. The Watch now covers most of central, west-central, southeast, and northern Virginia from Thursday through Saturday, when the combination of higher air temperatures and rising humidity levels will lead to common heat index values of 105-110 degrees (in the shade).

We are just one state of many in the nation to be affected by this large upper-level ridge bringing dangerous heat and humidity. Here's a map of every state under some form of Excessive Heat Warning (pink), Excessive Heat Watch (dark red), or Heat Advisory (orange) as of Wednesday morning:

Although we will come close to record high temperatures Friday and Saturday (we are forecasting highs around 100 degrees), it's the record warm low temperatures that are in real danger of falling. This Wednesday morning, we've already cooled below that record warm low temperature for this date (July 20th), so we won't break that record. But the rest of the week, overnight low temperatures will be very close to the records:

You may recall that last week we set our all-time record warmest low temperature in Richmond at 81 degrees on July 12, 2011.
--Meteorologist Carrie Rose (Click "Like" here to join the weather conversation on my Facebook page).
Stay with CBS6, we'll keep you ahead of the storm!