RICHMOND, Va. -- Cold and dry arctic air is currently in place, but a reinforcing shot of bitterly cold air will arrive this weekend. Arctic air cannot hold much moisture, so when that air is brought inside and warmed up to around 70°, the indoor relative humidity is less than 10 percent unless you are running a humidifier.
For most people, a comfortable humidity level in the winter is around 30 percent to 35 percent, or roughly half of the air temperature. If your walls start showing moisture, then you are running the humidifier too much.
Temperatures for the coming weekend will be the coldest since last February.
This was the last time when temperatures dropped into the single digits in the Richmond metro area.
So far this year, the coldest high temperature has been 28°, and Sunday does have the potential to be colder than that. However, the increasing sun angle and a southwesterly wind will likely be enough to raise the temperature about 20° during the day.
The cold air will modify on Monday, but a possible storm system will try to bring milder air into the region on Tuesday. The rest of the week will feature highs in the 40s and 50s, but signs are that the next weekend will be warmer.
