Month: October 2019

I finally made it here! It took me 11 hours but I had no troubles. I left Crossville at 4:30 this morning, so I missed all the bad weather. Nearly the entire state of Virginia is under a tornado watch until midnight, so I may still see some action! The current temp is 75 degrees and it’s so humid and windy.

I went exploring as soon as I got here and Chincoteague is a neat little town! All kinds of little tourist shops but it’s such a small town. It took me all of an hour to see what was here…and that was on foot. lol

And yes, I know you all are seeing snowflakes flying. Figures. Maybe I am the reason we’ve had three winters in a row without a big snow? Huh….. interesting.

You all enjoy those flakes and colder temps! I’ll be resting up and getting ready for a big day tomorrow!

 

Weather Headlines

–Heavy rainfall and some strong storms are possible this morning

–Temperatures will plummet this afternoon and north winds will become gusty, sending wind chill factors into the 20s and 30s.

–The season’s first hard freeze is expected tonight. Freeze conditions are also expected Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Main threats

THIS MORNING: Possible strong to severe storms and heavy rainfall.

TONIGHT: First hard freeze of the season.

Summary

The well-advertised strong cold front will move through this morning. Heavy downpours and some strong storms are possible. That threat should end by noon.

Then, temperatures will plummet. As that is happening, north winds will become gusty. This will lead to wind chill factors in the 30s. By sundown, it will feel more like the temp is in the 20s. Bundle up if you must head out!

The weather looks quite nice after today, with lots of sunshine. Morning lows will be very chilly but at least there will be lots of sunshine.

Almanac

Not available today.

Baldwin’s 7-Day forecast

Records

It was a snowy Halloween on this day in 2014! That was when more than two inches of snow fell across parts of the plateau. Areas south of Crossville had 2.2 inches of snow!

I remember another Halloween when I was kid when it snowed. It must have been 1992 or 1993? It was too cold for trick-or-treaters and we had snow all over our Jack-O-Lantern.

Today’s WeatherTAP WeatherWORD

High pressure system

An area where more air has been added overhead than in surrounding areas. That accounts for higher barometric pressure. Typically, air enters at higher altitudes, sinks, and exits at ground level. The sinking motion causes warming and drying, leaving clear sky often over the high pressure (aka anticyclone) area.

WeatherTAP WeatherFACT

The highest barometric pressure ever recorded was 1083.8 millibars in Agata, Russia on December 31, 1968. This is equivalent to the pressure you would feel being 2,000 feet below sea level!

Naturally, as you increase in altitude the barometric pressure becomes lower, as there is less of the Earth’s atmosphere above you to weigh you down.

NASA Knowledge

I’m on the road to Wallop’s Island today! Wish me safe travels!

Meanwhile, NASA has gotten into the holiday spirit with a very spooky image of the sun!

The image is from 2014 and was taken in ultraviolet light by the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite. Try not to get too scared!

News

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Judy Tippy’s retirement party that we had yesterday. After more than two decades with the company, Judy is stepping into the world of “takin’ it easy.” We wish her all the very best!

Check out that beautiful cake, though! Good job, Food City! Judy loves flowers and this was perfect.

You all have a great Halloween!

The cold front continues to slowly push our way. It should arrive on the plateau sometime in the morning. While the Storm Prediction Center continues to highlight our area in the marginal risk for severe storms (the lowest of the risk categories), I’m just not seeing that potential. We’re certainly not looking at anything widespread. I wouldn’t be surprised if we just see rain showers continuing tonight, followed by some rumbles of thunder when the front comes through in the morning. I’d expect that front to pass through between 7-10:00 in the morning.

You all have a good night!

A freeze watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for Thursday night. Temperatures are expected to fall into the 30s during the afternoon, as winds gust from the north. By sundown, temperatures will be either flirting with the freezing mark or already there. That will set the stage for a long period of time with subfreezing temperatures. By  Friday morning, we will have had our first hard freeze of the season.

Temps will hang out in the mid 40s for highs on Friday. Another hard freeze is on tap of Friday night and Saturday night.

You all stay warm!

The map below shows freeze watches in light blue. The dark blue colors to the west are freeze warnings. Our freeze watch will likely be upgraded to a warning.