A low-pressure system is expected to develop off the Florida coast Tuesday that will run up the eastern seaboard on Wednesday, causing a wide variety of precipitation types in Virginia. The precipitation could end as a period of rain/snow or even snow. At this point, there is no expected accumulation.
Observation Update: A changeover to some snow and rain occurred for about an hour on 11/26/14 from 3-4 PM. No measurable precipitation fell.
The first freezing temperature for the fall of 2014 occurred on November 3 (32.8 in Church Hill). The first freeze for the airport occurred on November 3 with a low of 30.
A quick batch of rain, mixed with sleet and some snow, came in behind an arctic front during the evening hours. No accumulation was observed. This serves as the first wintry precipitation observed for the 2014-2015 winter season.
An impressive low-pressure system will develop off the Georgia coast tomorrow morning and race northeastward towards New England. The track of this storm will situate the brunt of its precipitation offshore. However, a period of light snow tomorrow morning and tomorrow evening may give Central Virginia a light dusting of snow.
Hazardous Weather Outlook
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
628 AM EDT MON MAR 24 2014
VAZ060-064>086-251030-
PRINCE EDWARD-CAROLINE-MECKLENBURG-LUNENBURG-NOTTOWAY-AMELIA-
POWHATAN-CHESTERFIELD-HENRICO-KING WILLIAM-KING AND QUEEN-ESSEX-
WESTMORELAND-RICHMOND-NORTHUMBERLAND-LANCASTER-BRUNSWICK-DINWIDDIE-
PRINCE GEORGE-CHARLES CITY-NEW KENT-GLOUCESTER-MIDDLESEX-MATHEWS-
628 AM EDT MON MAR 24 2014
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL VIRGINIA…EAST
CENTRAL VIRGINIA…SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA…THE MIDDLE PENINSULA OF
VIRGINIA…THE NORTHERN NECK OF VIRGINIA AND THE PIEDMONT OF
CENTRAL VIRGINIA.
.DAY ONE…TODAY AND TONIGHT.
COLD CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE WILL RESULT IN WELL BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES TODAY.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.
LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COAST TONIGHT AND
INTENSIFY RAPIDLY AS IT MOVES OFF THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST ON
TUESDAY. A PERIOD OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA TUESDAY
MORNING BEFORE TRANSITIONING TO A RAIN AND SNOW MIX TUESDAY
AFTERNOON. A BRIEF PERIOD OF SNOW IS ALSO POSSIBLE LATE TUESDAY AS
COLDER AIR SURGES INTO THE REGION. A LIGHT ACCUMULATION IS
POSSIBLE.
IN ADDITION…GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS BETWEEN 20 TO 30 MPH WILL
DEVELOP TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. WIND CHILLS WEDNESDAY MORNING
WILL DROP INTO THE MID TEENS.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT…
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
Church Hill Storm Observation Summary:
* Place – Time: Church Hill, (3/17/2014)
* Temperature: 29-35, During Event
* Winter Weather Watch/Warning/Advisory: Watch & Advisory
* Closings: None
* Predicted Totals: Ranged from 2-4” initialed, downgraded to less than 1” on Sunday night.
* Road Conditions: All roads were primarily wet during the event.
* Precipitation Description: A mix of rain to sleet, followed by freezing rain, sleet and snow during the overnight hours. Additional freezing rain and sleet fell during the morning hours of 3/17/2014.
* Total Precipitation: Approximately 0.5″ of snow, sleet and ice accumulation. Snow, sleet and freezing rain accumulated on elevated surfaces. 0.6″ was reported at Richmond airport.
* Comments: A low sliding through the Tennessee Valley towards the coast of Virginia delivered a late season winter storm event to the Richmond area. A cold air wedge developed on Sunday afternoon that slowly changed rain over to sleet during the late evening and overnight hours. Periods of sleet, snow, freezing rain and rain continued through the morning and early afternoon hours. Impacts from snow and ice to the Richmond area were minimal from this storm. However, areas to the north saw increased snow totals between 2-8” towards Fredericksburg & DC.
Snowfall Totals:
Photos:
NWS Forecast, Day of Event:
More information to follow.
Church Hill Storm Observation Summary:
* Place – Time: Church Hill, (3/7/2014)
* Temperature: 32-33, During Event
* Winter Weather Watch/Warning/Advisory: Advisory
* Closings: None
* Road Conditions: All roads were wet during the event.
* Precipitation Description: Sleet, transitioned to freezing rain and then rain by 8 AM. Sleet began around 4:00 AM and quickly turned over to a mix of sleet and freezing rain by 7 AM.
* Total Precipitation: Less than 0.1″ of ice accumulation. Freezing rain accumulated on elevated surfaces.
* Comments: A low coming out of the Gulf of Mexico tracked up the east coast, delivering a severe snow and ice storm to western North Carolina and southwest Virginia. Impacts from ice to the Richmond area were minimal from this storm.
Church Hill Storm Observation Summary:
* Place – Time: Church Hill, (3/3/2014)
* Temperature: 24-36, During Event
* Winter Weather Watch/Warning/Advisory: Warning
* Closings: Chesterfield Government Closed on 3/3/14 at 10:30 AM, Delayed opening on 3/4/14 for 10:30 AM.
* Road Conditions: All roads covered during event.
* Precipitation Description: Snow, sleet, and rain. Rain and sleet began around 6:30 AM and quickly turned over to all sleet by 7 AM. Snow began to mix in with the sleet by 8 AM. All snow by 9 AM where heavy snow fell for almost 2 hours. Snow tapered off by noon as a large dry slot infiltrated the area. Flurries and light snow continued until 4 PM with no real additional accumulation.
* Total Precipitation: 3.1″. Approximately 0.1″ of sleet. 3.0″ inches of snow was reported at the airport on 3/3/14. Snowfall totals were fairly consistent across central Virginia with totals between 2-5″.
* Comments: Initial forecast for the storm shifted the axis of snow from the Midwest/upper mid-Atlantic to central Virginia on Saturday (3/1). Snow was expected to develop along a backdoor cold front that would create a cold air damning wedge. Afternoon high temperatures reached 72 on Sunday in Richmond, with the temperature plummeting to 11 on March 4th. Sleet, moderate to heavy at times, quickly transitioned to heavy snow. The dry slot quickly stopped the snow by midday, making the higher forecast totals of 7-8″ unattainable. Even higher forecasts of 8-12″ towards Fredericksburg busted due to this dry slot. The sun peaked out briefly before the sun set on 3/3/2014.
Snowfall Totals:
Photos:
Videos:
NWS Forecast, Day of Event:
Winter Storm Watch
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 249 PM EST SAT MAR 1 2014 MDZ021>025-VAZ048-049-061>064-069-071>078-083>086-099-020400- /O.NEW.KAKQ.WS.A.0004.140303T0900Z-140304T0300Z/ DORCHESTER-WICOMICO-SOMERSET-INLAND WORCESTER-MARYLAND BEACHES- FLUVANNA-LOUISA-CUMBERLAND-GOOCHLAND-HANOVER-CAROLINE-POWHATAN- HENRICO-KING WILLIAM-KING AND QUEEN-ESSEX-WESTMORELAND-RICHMOND- NORTHUMBERLAND-LANCASTER-NEW KENT-GLOUCESTER-MIDDLESEX-MATHEWS- ACCOMACK- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CAMBRIDGE...SALISBURY...CRISFIELD... PRINCESS ANNE...SNOW HILL...OCEAN CITY...LOUISA...GOOCHLAND... ASHLAND...RICHMOND...TAPPAHANNOCK...CHINCOTEAGUE... WALLOPS ISLAND...MELFA 249 PM EST SAT MAR 1 2014 ...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING. * AREAS AFFECTED: CENTRAL VIRGINIA TO THE NORTHERN NECK AND MIDDLE PENINSULA IN EASTERN VIRGINIA...THEN THE LOWER EASTERN SHORE. * HAZARDS: PRIMARILY SNOW AND SLEET. * ACCUMULATIONS: POTENTIAL FOR 4 INCHES OR MORE OF SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATION ALONG WITH A LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATION. * TEMPERATURES: STARTING IN THE 30S EARLY MONDAY MORNING...THEN FALLING INTO THE LOWER TO MID 20S BY AFTERNOON. * WINDS: NORTH WINDS INCREASING TO 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 25 MPH INLAND...AND INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 TO 35 MPH NEAR THE BAY AND ON THE EASTERN SHORE. * TIMING: LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING. * IMPACTS: ANY RAIN LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY MORNING WILL TRANSITION TO A BRIEF WINTRY MIXTURE OF SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN DURING THE MORNING. THE WINTRY MIX WILL BECOME PRIMARILY SNOW ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA BY MIDDAY...THEN CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING HOURS. HAZARDOUS TRAVEL RESULTING FROM ICY THEN SNOW COVERED ROADS IS EXPECTED BY LATE MORNING MONDAY...WHICH WILL THEN CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW...SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.
A major winter storm is shaping up for the Ohio Valley and Northeast that will come through Central Virginia on Sunday into Monday. Trends now indicate that Richmond could even see some significant snowfall, per the NWS forecast this morning:
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 434 AM EST SAT MAR 1 2014 MDZ021>025-VAZ048-049-060>064-066>078-080>086-090-091-099-100-020945- DORCHESTER-WICOMICO-SOMERSET-INLAND WORCESTER-MARYLAND BEACHES- FLUVANNA-LOUISA-PRINCE EDWARD-CUMBERLAND-GOOCHLAND-HANOVER-CAROLINE- LUNENBURG-NOTTOWAY-AMELIA-POWHATAN-CHESTERFIELD-HENRICO-KING WILLIAM- KING AND QUEEN-ESSEX-WESTMORELAND-RICHMOND-NORTHUMBERLAND-LANCASTER- DINWIDDIE-PRINCE GEORGE-CHARLES CITY-NEW KENT-GLOUCESTER-MIDDLESEX- MATHEWS-JAMES CITY-YORK-ACCOMACK-NORTHAMPTON VA- 434 AM EST SAT MAR 1 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE LOWER EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND...CENTRAL VIRGINIA...EAST CENTRAL VIRGINIA...SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA...THE EASTERN SHORE OF VIRGINIA...THE MIDDLE PENINSULA OF VIRGINIA...THE NORTHERN NECK OF VIRGINIA...THE PENINSULA OF SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA AND THE PIEDMONT OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. A POTENT WINTER STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE REGION ON MONDAY. SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND SLEET WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THE DAY MONDAY...BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION COMES TO AN END MONDAY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.