Thermometer reveals a very different August than '07Posted Aug28, 2008 at 10:20 PMTaking a break from the tropical talk ... the cloudy, rainy weather has brought down the averages for what was already a much cooler August than last year's stiflingly hot one. On Wednesday, Roanoke's high of 65 beat by one degree the record for coolest high temperature on Aug. 27, previously set in 1937. Blacksburg tied a 45-year-old mark with a high of only 62. Roanoke's temperatures the past three days, highs and lows, have been 75/64, 65/60 and 70/61, when the average runs 84/62. As a result, Roanoke is almost a degree below normal in average temperature for the month at 74.1, which is a whopping 8 degrees below the average last August ended with. With three days of highs no higher than the low to mid 80s -- and that only if there's substantial sunshine --- and lows in the 60s expected to close out the month, this will likely go down as a slightly cooler than normal August overall, and a radical departure from last year's hottest month on record. A chilly August morningPosted Aug12, 2008 at 12:00 PMThe recent spate of cool weather turned downright chilly in many locations this morning. Blacksburg set a record low for Aug. 12 this morning, dropping to 45 degrees. The old record of 47 dates to 1961. Lynchburg, with a low of 49, and Danville, with a low of 51, also set new record lows. Lynchburg's old record dated all the way back to 1926; Danville's to 1980. Roanoke's 54 was the second coolest on this date, but did not eclipse the record of 51 set on Aug. 12, 1930. Many of our summer daily heat records date to 1930, so that must have been a really up-and-down summer for temperatures. Looking at temperatures at the an official site between Marion and Wytheville, it was positively cold this morning: At least as low as 41 degrees. Wow. Though days will warm up nicely in the sun, a few more cool mornings with widespread 50s appear to be on tap. The unseasonably cool weather pattern is going to slow to unwind. This August may well end up being almost the diametric opposite of last year's unrelenting heat. July: An abnormally normal month in RoanokePosted Jul31, 2008 at 09:08 PMIf you want a good idea of what a "normal" July is for Roanoke, the one that has just ended is about as good an example as you will ever find. Roanoke's July average temperature was 76.1 degrees ... one-tenth of a degree below normal ... and rainfall for the month was 3.67 inches, just a third of an inch below normal. The month's average high temperature was a wee bit below normal ... 86.9 degrees, compared to the normal of 87.5 ... but it was partly made up for by an average low temperature that was an even smaller bit warmer than normal ... 65.3 degrees, compared to a normal of 64.9. Often, when we have a month that works out to be near normal in temperature, it is the result of averaging extremely warm periods with extremely cool periods of similar length. Not so in July: 18 of the 31 days were within 2 degrees of the normal daily average temperature. Only two days were more than 5 degrees above normal; likewise, only two days were more than 5 degrees below normal. Here's to a refreshing dose of normalcy before August likely begins with a period of extreme heat. First day of July is coolest since MayPosted Jul01, 2008 at 05:12 PMRoanoke's high of 75 was cooler than any day in June and cooler than 20 of May's 31 days. The last day which had a high temperature lower than this first day of July was May 28, when it only got to 71. Today's high temperature was 11 degrees below normal. It wasn't close to a record for coolest high temperature for July 1, though. The high on July 1, 1943, was 68, while the highs on July 1, 1912, and July 1, 1985, were each 69. If the skies clear tonight, widespread lows in the 50s will occur, with a few 40s in the deeper valleys to the west. Highs will slowly climb back to the mid and upper 80s by the end of the week, with moisture also increasing, firing more afternoon showers and thunderstorms again as the weekend approaches. Plenty cool for June, but probably not record-breakingPosted Jun17, 2008 at 11:14 PMLows are projected in the low to mid 50s for each morning from Wednesday to Friday in Roanoke, possibly into the weekend. Lows could even be cooler in more rural mountain and valley areas. Roanoke's record lows for the next three mornings are 46 for June 18, set in 1959; 48 for June 19, set in 1999; and 53 for June 20, set in 1935, 1954 and 1965. So as you can see, Friday would have the best shot at a record low in Roanoke. Record lows are unlikely both Wednesday and Thursday. Normal lows are about 60 this time of year. One more day of searing early June heatPosted Jun09, 2008 at 10:00 AMToday will probably be the last day of extreme heat. It will still be pretty hot and sticky on Tuesday, and then a little less so on Wednesday, and back to near normal by the end of the week. Roanoke's June 9 record high of 98 set in 1933 will probably be safe today as highs likely reach the mid 90s. Blacksburg, going for a sixth day of record heat, might challenge the 92 set on this date in 1933. With only 2 degrees difference in high temperatures on Sunday, it doesn't seem those extra 1,500 feet in elevation over Roanoke are helping Blacksburg stay much cooler. In case you didn't see it in the paper this morning, here is the list of record temperatures set since Wednesday in both Roanoke and Blacksburg. No 100 for Roanoke, but many around the statePosted Jun08, 2008 at 05:43 PMRoanoke only made it to 95 today, not even quite a daily record, which was 97. At 4 p.m., Richmond, Petersburg, South Hill, Williamsburg, Chesapeake and Martinsville were all officially at 100 degrees, with Franklin leading the pack at 102. Eastern Virginia may well have another 100-degree day on Monday. Temperatures could again be in the mid 90s in our area on Monday, but will slowly back down a bit after that, as clouds, showers and thunderstorms increase. If it's going to hit 100, it'll happen SundayPosted Jun07, 2008 at 10:49 PMSunday will probably be the peak day of the current heat wave. Besides the hot dome of high pressure that is parked overhead, we'll likely get a weak westerly downslope wind. Downslope winds dry out and heat up due to compression. Some of our hottest days during our sizzling hot August last year were when a westerly wind developed. Most likely, we'll come up short of 100 in Roanoke, probably in the 96-99 range. If it does hit 100, it would be the second-earliest triple-digit day since Roanoke's weather records began in 1912. The record high for June 8 is 97, set in 1933. Blacksburg had its earliest 90-degree day in its recorded weather history, dating to 1953, on Friday, and will likely have a third consecutive day of 90-degree weather and could set or tie a record for a fifth consecutive day. Blacksburg's June 8 record was 90, set in 1984, which was the earliest 90-degree day on record before it was upstaged on Friday. From Monday through Thursday, the dome of high pressure responsible for the heat will slip a little east. That will probably take a few degrees off the temperatures, slowly, but humidity will build as a southerly flow starts returning moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. The comfort level won't improve much with stickier air building in, but there will be more clouds, showers and thunderstorms. Later in the week, around Thursday or so, a cold front will try to push eastward against the hot air. It may not make it all the way through, but will at least stir things up a bit, and increase the coverage of showers and thunderstorms. We could even have a day or two by late this week when it doesn't make it to 90. The list of heat records continues to growPosted Jun07, 2008 at 05:47 PMThis early June heat wave is living up to its pre-event billing as a record-breaker. Roanoke's high of 96 today broke the previous June 7 record of 95 set in 1925. The period of record for Roanoke goes back to 1912. Roanoke tied a record on Friday, also with a high of 96. Blacksburg's high of 90 broke the previous June 7 record of 89 set in 1984. Blacksburg's period of record goes back to 1953. Blacksburg has tied or broken record highs for four consecutive days. Several locations in central and eastern Virginia have reached or exceeded the 100-degree mark, including Richmond and Norfolk. There was also a little bit of severe thunderstorm activity today south of us where the Blue Ridge aided a few updrafts in pumping up some small but potent thunderstorms. Hail up to 3/4 inch in diameter occurred near Fancy Gap in Carroll County. Anytime there is heat like this and even modest humidity, the fuel is present for big thunderstorms, it's just a matter of whether other factors will allow those updrafts to rise sufficiently to create storms. The record warmth continuesPosted Jun07, 2008 at 12:56 PMThe National Weather Service climate statement for Roanoke now shows a high temperature of 96 on Friday, which tied the record set in 1939. The 5 p.m. statement from the weather service on Friday indicated a high of 95, but the 24-hour statement released this morning for June 6 shows a high of 96 set at 4:27 p.m. Roanoke is already at 91 as of noon today, with the record high of 95 set in 1925 looking very likely to fall. The only limiting factor could be a greater tendency for cumulus clouds and possibly a few scattered showers or storms to form as a result of increased humidity and a very weak disturbance moving through. Blacksburg is going for its fourth consecutive day of tying or exceeding a record high. The June 7 record high of 89 was set in 1984. Roanoke's low of 71 this morning tied the record for warmest low temperature on this date, set in 1952. That record will hold if it does not fall lower than 71 by midnight, and it's unlikely it will, unless an isolated storm with very strong cooling downdraft winds pops up right over the airport. That will make this the third day in a row a new "high minimum" record was set or tied at Roanoke. Third day of record heat for Blacksburg; Roanoke close to record todayPosted Jun06, 2008 at 05:17 PMBlacksburg has had record highs three days in a row. Blacksburg set a record high today at 90, beating the 88 recorded on June 6, 2002. Wednesday's high of 86 tied the June 4 record dating to 1987, and Thursday's high of 88 tied the June 5 record, set in 2002. Roanoke has already set two records during this heat wave, but neither were for afternoon high temperatures. Our muggy morning low of 75 on Thursday was a runaway record, beating the previous warmest low for June 5, 69 in 2002. This morning's low was cooler, at 70, but still a record, warmer than previous June 6 record of 68 in 1918. Roanoke just missed a record high today, topping out at 95, a degree off the June 6 record of 96 set in 1939. Saturday looks to have a very good chance of being a historically hot June 7 for the Star City. The current record is 95, set in 1925, and our forecast highs are the upper 90s. As of 5 p.m., at least one Virginia location, South Hill, had hit 100 degrees. Martinsville was close at 99. Franklin, Va., had a temperature of 99 and a dew point of 77 at 4 p.m., for a blistering heat index value of 114. Blessedly, our dew points have been holding in the low 60s in Southwest Virginia, keeping heat index values below 100.
From the freezer to the frying panPosted Apr17, 2008 at 10:18 AMI neglected to mention that Blacksburg's low of 24 on Wednesday morning set a new record, breaking the old April 16 record of 25 set in 1963. There will be no record cold this afternoon, as highs soar into the 70s. We might see 80s on Friday. An easy morning to set a record lowPosted Feb29, 2008 at 12:01 PMBlacksburg set a record low this morning and Roanoke tied a record low, but it was the easiest day of the year to do so. With Feb. 29 only showing up every 4 years, there are a lot fewer opportunites for record temperatures to be set on this date than any other date on the calendar. Blacksburg's low of 15 beat out the previous leap day record of 15 set in 1984, while Roanoke's low of 22 tied the Feb. 29 record set in 1980. Most record lows for this time of year run in the single digits for Blacksburg and in the teens for Roanoke. Temperatures at or near record levels todayPosted Feb05, 2008 at 02:52 PMUPDATE 5:17 PM: Roanoke tied its record high of 74 today, while Blacksburg topped at 69, setting a new record by 2 degrees. Roanoke is challenging a new record high temperature at midafternoon, with a temperature of 73 degrees, just 1 degree below the standard set in 1991, while Blacksburg appears to have already set a record with a high of 68, 1 degree above the previous record dating to 1962. In pursuit of high temperature recordsPosted Feb04, 2008 at 11:19 PMWhen it gets really warm in the winter, you know something has gone haywire, and that means potential death and destruction for somebody. Our high temperatures will likely challenge or possibly exceed records for Feb. 5 on Tuesday (74 in 1991 at Roanoke, 67 in 1962 at Blacksburg). That will lead to rain and possible storms overnight and Wednesday as a cold front moves toward the area. But the real trouble will be to our west: Expect a possible major severe weather outbreak in parts of the lower and middle Mississipppi River Valley eastward into the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday. Follow the latest on the severe weather at the Storm Prediction Center Web site linked here. One more day of extreme January warmthPosted Jan08, 2008 at 12:52 AMRoanoke's high of 72 shattered the old record of 66 on Monday, while Blacksburg's high of 66 clipped the old record of 64, both breaking standards set in 1998. Today's records of 70 in Roanoke (1965) and 65 in Blacksburg (1998) are likely to be challenged or exceeded. Past today, the week looks wet and progressively colder. Three different systems will bring precipitation to the area, each one just a little wetter and colder than the last. The third system, affecting the area by the weekend, looks from this distance to be wet and cold enough to be a serious snow threat for the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic region. We'll have to follow the specifics closely to see what that means for our backyards. Final temperature, precipitation tally for 2007Posted Jan01, 2008 at 10:23 AMLooking at the official records at Roanoke Regional Airport, 2007 finished as the warmest year on record with an average temperature of 53.3 degrees, three-tenths of a degree warmer than the previous record warm year in 1990. 2007 also ended up as the third driest year with 29.86 inches of rain, only the third year to finish with less than 30 inches of rain since records began being kept at the airport in 1948. December, with an average temperature of 43.4 degrees, was tied for the seventh warmest December on record, making it the eighth month of 2007 to rank among the top 10 warmest for its respective month. It was not as warm as December 2006, though, which at 45.1 degrees was the fourth warmest December on record. Record highs easily achieved todayPosted Dec10, 2007 at 04:18 PMRoanoke and Blacksburg had each set new record highs before noon today, topping old records of 67 and 65, respectively, set in 1972. Roanoke has hit at least 72, while Blacksburg has risen to at least 67. Record highs easily achieved todayPosted Dec10, 2007 at 04:18 PMRoanoke and Blacksburg had each set new record highs before noon today, topping old records of 67 and 65, respectively, set in 1972. Roanoke has hit at least 72, while Blacksburg has risen to at least 67. Another under-producing rain systemPosted Nov27, 2007 at 09:16 AMRoanoke got a whopping .09 inch the last two days out of what appeared to be a decent-looking rain system. This leaves us at only .18 inch for the month of November. With our rain chances limited to showers on Thursday, this has a strong chance of eclipising the .44 inch in November 1960 as the driest November on record. Correcting the record highsPosted Nov20, 2007 at 04:52 PMMy previous blog entry noted that the record high in Roanoke for Nov. 20 was 73 ... it was actually 78 in 1985. The record for Nov. 21, Wednesday, is 73 in 1991, which could be challenged. Today's high in Roanoke has hit at least 73. October finishes as second warmest on recordPosted Oct31, 2007 at 10:56 PMWednesday's high of 69 and low of 34 in Roanoke brought the average temperature for the month of October to 63.6 degrees, making it the second warmest October on record. The hottest October was in 1984 when the temperature averaged 64.3 degrees. The normal October average temperature is 56.5 degrees, so this October was more than 7 degrees above normal. A year ago, October's average temperature was 55.4 degrees, more than a degree below normal. Only nine Octobers have averaged above 60 degrees since weather records began being kept at Roanoke Regional Airport in 1948. Counting the one just completed, only two of those have occurred in the last 22 years. It's 90 degrees yet againPosted Oct09, 2007 at 01:32 PMRoanoke's 1 p.m. temperature is 90 degrees. The record high for the date has been crushed, but more importantly, Oct. 9 is now the latest date for a 90-degree high on record in Roanoke. Also ... we've never before had three days at or above 90 in Roanoke during October. Record book re-arranged yet againPosted Oct08, 2007 at 11:38 PMWhen the high temperature hit 91 in Roanoke on Sunday, it was the latest in the year it had topped 90 since records began being kept at the airport in 1948. But that record only lasted until Monday, when another high of 91 set the new latest 90-degree standard at Oct. 8. It might happen yet again today (Tuesday). The daily record high of 86, set in 1958, seems certain to fall, but 90 is not out of the question. Blacksburg hit 87 each of the last two days, clobbering its old records for each date of 82 for Oct. 7 (1990) and 80 for Oct. 8 (1997). The good news (for most of you -- a few of you like the late heat) is that we have only one more day of summerlike heat before much cooler weather sets in with an approaching cold front. It may actually feel like October by the weekend. Hot-tober 2007 makes a run at historyPosted Oct06, 2007 at 09:12 PM
The Climate Prediction Center pinpoints an area of unseasonable heat Blacksburg's record highs are in the low 80s, so those are likely to fall too. It's never hit 90 in October in Blacksburg. Cooler weather is on the way later in the week, but possibly not before yet another round of heat history is established in Southwest Virginia. I will not be posting the next 48 hours, as it is my wedding anniversary, one of the few times of the year I let following the weather go by the wayside. But you can check up on the following sites, linked below, to see if Roanoke indeed tops 90 either Sunday or Monday. Roanoke hourly temps, with 24-hour summary Daily climate summary for Roanoke (issued shortly after 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day A hot October day, but not a recordPosted Oct04, 2007 at 09:38 PMRoanoke's high of 86 today was 13 degrees above the normal for the date ... but was still 4 degrees off the record pace of 90 in 1959, the last time there were any 90-degree temperatures here in October. Some moisture banking against the mountains Friday and Saturday may cause enough showers, clouds and fog to back the temperatures down a little. But we make a run at record highs Sunday and Monday, which are in the mid to upper 80s. Keep in mind that the latest 90-degree temperature on record in Roanoke was on Oct. 6, back in 1959, and there'll be at least some chance of scraping 90 on both Oct. 7 and 8 this year as high pressure builds overhead. A warm September, but not the warmestPosted Oct01, 2007 at 11:31 PMRoanoke's average temperature of 71.5 degrees for September ranks as the fifth warmest such month on record. It was more than 2 degrees off the record of 73.6 in 1998. A gradual warmup this week will push temperatures above October normals, getting this month off to another warm start. No significant rain is in sight, so the drought will worsen. Same hot song, 53rd versePosted Sep26, 2007 at 05:29 PMIt was yet another 90-degree day in Roanoke with a record-tying high of 91. That makes 53 days this year at or above 90, and 10 days this month, just one short of the September record. Thursday will have some chance to hit that mark even though it's expected to be just a few degrees cooler. Blacksburg nearly hit 90. Its high of 89 topped the old record for Sept. 26, 86, set in 1970. A cold front will bring somewhat cooler weather for the weekend. Yet another record blazing hot dayPosted Sep25, 2007 at 04:27 PMRoanoke's high temperature hit 93 degrees today, breaking the old record for the date of 92 set in 1970. It is the 52nd day this year that Roanoke has crossed 90, which is tied for the fourth most on record. The official first day of fall is more like summerPosted Sep23, 2007 at 11:44 PMOK, I was wrong when I said the 90s were over earlier this month. Roanoke hit 90 today (Sunday), our 51st day at or above 90 in 2007. It was three degrees below the date's record high of 93 ste in 1970. Blacksburg's high of 88 set a new record for the date, breaking the old Sept. 23 record of 87 set two years ago. Expect two or three more days with temperatures in the mid to upper 80s ... possibly low 90s ... before cooler weather moves back in late in the week. The stickiest September night of them allPosted Sep10, 2007 at 09:24 PMAs if we need to set some more heat records ... Roanoke's low of 75 this morning is poised to set not only the record for the warmest low for Sept. 10 (previous record: 70 in 1985), but also the warmest low for any September night on record (previous record: 74 on Sept. 7, 1998). The records will be set if we do not fall below 75 before midnight -- which seems unlikely with it 86 at 9 p.m. If some showers or storms move in, the temperature could fall below 75. But for now, those seem to be staying to the north. This morning's balmly low was in contrast to most mornings this month. Even though the afternoons have been hot, low dew points have helped morning lows fall into the low 60s most days this month. And the high temperature today did reach 90, the seventh straight day of 90-degree weather during this September annex to the August heat wave. I'm going to have to do a little poking in the record book to see if we've ever put that many 90-degree days together in September before. Only five Septembers on record since 1948 have had more than seven days at or above 90 in the entire month. 2007 became only the seventh year on record with 50 or more days at or above 90 in Roanoke today -- 1 in May, 7 in June, 8 in July, 27 in August and now 7 in September. Cooler weather is still coming later this week, I promise. I honestly believe today may have been the last day of 2007 to hit 90. Meanwhile, it's STILL hot ...Posted Sep08, 2007 at 11:59 PMRoanoke's high of 92 on Saturday tied the record for Sept. 8 set in 1985. It marked the 5th straight day of highs in the 90s, running our total of 90-or-above days for 2007 to 48. Going back to Aug. 1, 32 of our last 39 days have had highs at or above 90 in Roanoke. As we watch Tropical Storm Gabrielle dance away from us today, we'll likely see yet another day of 90-plus temperatures. The rest of this week, a cold front is going to try its best to uproot the heat, spawning showers and storms in the process. We might even see a sub-80 high by late in the week or next weekend. Weather service recap of August recordsPosted Sep05, 2007 at 04:33 PMThe National Weather Service in Blacksburg has compiled a nice summary (linked here) of heat and drought records in August for the 5 major reporting stations in its forecast area -- Roanoke, Blacksburg, Lynchburg, Danville and Bluefield, W.Va. A note of clarification: The weather service article states that Roanoke's 27 days of 90-plus temperatures in August beat a previous record of 20 in 1959 and 1995, and also that the four 100-degree days topped the previous mark of three. At first blush that might appear to contradict my Sept. 1 column which established 23 in July 1987 as the previous record for 90-degree days in a month and eight in July 1977 as the still-reigning record for 100-degree days in a month. But there is no contradiction: The records the weather service refers to are for the month of August, while those I refer to are records for any month. Back to the 90sPosted Sep04, 2007 at 11:44 PMTuesday's high of 90 in Roanoke ended a 3-day break from temperatures in the 90s in Roanoke. We'll likely be back in the 90s again today and have a chance the next couple of days as well. The high pressure responsible for the heat keeps taking body blows but never gets knocked down for good by the cold fronts from Canada. Tuesday was the 44th day of temperatures at or above 90 degrees in Roanoke this year. We had a single day in May, 7 in June, 8 in July and the record 27 in August. The record of 65 days at or above 90 in a year, set in 1953, is likely to remain intact. Equaling that mark would require 21 additional 90-degree days -- Roanoke has never had more than 11 in September and never more than 2 in October. Roanoke has not had a 90-degree day in October since 1959 and never had one later than Oct. 6. Only eight other years since 1948 have had more than 44 days at or above 90. The last time we had this many was 1993; the last time we had more was 47 in 1987. With the exception of 55 days in 1977, all the remaining years with more 90-degree days were in the 1950s. So the persistence of heat we've been seeing lately is rare indeed. |