Saturday marked autumn’s coldest air thus far, producing lows in the low to mid 20s and highs in the mid 40s. After a brief period of warmer temperatures on Monday, a punch of even colder air will arrive Tuesday into Wednesday.
Temperatures will push back above normal Monday, but the passage of a strong cold front will mark the downward slide of temperatures Monday night into Tuesday. High temperatures on Tuesday will struggle to break out of the upper 30s in many areas across central and western Virginia. Lows Tuesday night into Wednesday morning will be in the teens and lower 20s, the coldest since early March.
Most of the temperature records for this period will not be broken, but lows Wednesday morning could come close.
Tuesday:
- High: near 40°
- Normal high: 61°
- Record coldest high: 34° in 1959
Wednesday Morning:
- Low: near 20°
- Normal low: 39°
- Record low: 18° in 1936
Wednesday Afternoon:
- High: around 41°
- Normal high: 60°
- Record coldest high: 37° in 1951
The core of the cold air will lift out of our area later Wednesday into Thursday. Another change in the pattern will occur next Sunday into Monday when a surge of warmer air will move back into the region. More cold air will follow for the middle part of next week. As of now, it does not look to be as cold this week’s pattern.
