The pleasant weather from earlier in the week is nothing more than a memory now that Mother Nature, as she so often does in Virginia, has flipped a switch and hurled us headlong into summer. More scientifically speaking, deep layer southwesterly flow has drawn a summer-like air mass into the Mid-Atlantic, resulting in Richmond’s first 90-degree day of the year. The high today reached 91, coming up one degree shy of tying the record of 92 set in 1936. The chart below lists the dates of the first 90-degree day for each of the past 10 years. The dates range from as early as April 6th to as late as June 6th. Today’s date of May 8th is very close to the average first 90-degree day in Richmond of May 13th.
The pattern won’t change on Friday, so expect another hot, and slightly humid day. High clouds ahead of a storm system moving through the Mississippi Valley will move into the area in the afternoon and evening, tempering some of the highs especially west of the I-95 corridor. It’s still very likely that we’ll see another 90-degree day in the River City. -Zach
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