The heat builds East...

Our weather in Central Virginia has been wonderful the last couple of days, although we certainly could use at least a little rain. The warm, dry conditions are expected to continue through the next several days. Temperatures will be on the rise, averaging in the low 80s tomorrow and the mid to upper 80s on Friday. You'll also notice an increase in the humidity by the upcoming weekend.

Speaking of the Memorial Day weekend...

Much of the weekend is expected to be rain-free, although very warm to hot and humid. There is a front that will approach the region on Saturday. This could trigger a late afternoon thunderstorm or two, with the greatest chances north and west of Richmond. The front will jump back north on Sunday, and temperatures have the potential to jump above 90 degrees. Then another front will make a run at us on Monday, increasing the chances for a late day thunderstorm or two. Once again, the highest threat will be to the north and west of Richmond.

Beyond the weekend...

This front will likely get hung up over the Mid-Atlantic Tuesday and Wednesday, so I can't rule out a few thundershowers, especially on Tuesday...although we don't expect any widespread rain. The long range computer data suggests the warmer weather is here to stay, at least into early June.

Strong storm off the Southeast coast keeps an onshore flow in place...

A rather strong spring storm is still sitting off the Southeast coast, producing gale force winds near the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. In fact, the National Hurricane Center is keeping a close eye on this storm, in case of any tropical or subtropical development. By the way, the Atlantic hurricane season does not officially begin until June 1st. This system is inching toward the coast and will continue to bring an east-southeast wind into Virginia. This means we'll be dealing with quite a few clouds through Thursday. However, the skies will be rather changeable and any sun we see will make the atmosphere a bit more unstable. This will likely cause a few spotty showers and possibly even thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday, the air will dry out a bit and temperatures could crack the 80-degree mark.

Friday and the weekend...

Friday looks like it could be the nicest day of the week, with ample sunshine and temperatures well into the 80s. It should be a great start to the big Jamestown celebration. However, a cold front will be approaching the area and could trigger a few thunderstorms as early as late Friday night. There will be a higher threat for scattered showers and thunderstorms on Saturday, although at this point I don't expect a washout. It appears the front will get far enough south of us on Sunday so we can stay dry, although it will be a bit cooler with an onshore breeze. If the front hangs closer to us, then we will have higher rain chances.

Next week...

The new work week may start with a few showers on Monday as the front lifts back to the north. We should get into a southwest flow on Tuesday, boosting temperatures back into the 80s. However, another front approaches by Tuesday night and that will likely bring in somewhat cooler air for the rest of next week (May 16-18).