Signs of spring: Mild days ahead, the next big system, and prepping for severe weather in Virginia
With Daylight Saving starting early Sunday morning, post 7pm sunsets and post 7am sunrises are now the norm. Also, this week will be the last full week of winter.
Spring is near!
The start of astronomical spring is only days away. The March or “vernal” equinox will occur at 5:01am on March 2oth. This is the point when the sun is directly over the equator marking an even amount of daylight and darkness. In fact, “equinox” comes from 2 Latin words meaning “equal” and “night”. The sun continues its northward progression across the sky until summer begins.
Viginia Severe Weather Awareness Week
Courtesy: NWS Wakefield
For the week of March 10th, the National Weather Service will engage with local media and emergency management and public safety officials to improve readiness and preparedness as severe weather season approaches. Each day will focus on a different aspect of severe weather preparation, including the statewide tornado drill on Tuesday the 11th at 9:45am. For more information on the program and to find out how to become a trained Skywarn Storm Spotter for National Weather Service, go to this link.
Active Weather This Week
Courtesy: TropicalTidbits.com
Models continue to signal the development of a large “bomb” cyclone event in the Midwest by the end of the week. This will likely prompt severe weather from the Gulf coast up into the Great Lakes region, with blizzard conditions in the upper Midwest. Stemming from the system, a cold front will potentially impact the Mid-Atlantic and Delmarva sometime later in the weekend. The chance for severe weather looks less certain, but there is the potential for another windy event overall. In the meantime, mild temperatures will dominate the weather story here at home for most of the week, with highs in the 60s to start the week and possibly the 70s by Friday and the weekend. A backdoor cold front will bring a quick shot of cooler air midweek, but with highs in the upper 50s to near 60 on Wednesday, this will still be a bit above average (low to mid 50s) for this time of the year.
