RICHMOND, Va. — Central Virginia is experiencing an exceptional period of persistent thunderstorms and rain due to unusually high humidity levels, CBS 6 Chief Meteorologist Zach Daniel explained.
The current weather pattern is more intense than the typical summer pop-up thunderstorms that we're accustomed to seeing in the region.
"This is a bit exceptional. We're in a ridge pattern right now, and typically without a lot of moisture, you end up with some drought conditions, maybe some thunderstorms scattered about that's about it," Zach explained.
The key factor driving these persistent storms is the extraordinary amount of humidity in the atmosphere.
"We have so much moisture that's the big factor is the amount of humidity we have. Humidity equals buoyancy, which means the air can go vertically, and as it does, it forms showers and thunderstorms," he said.
This creates a feedback loop that's difficult to break, Zach said.
The high humidity leads to storms, which deposit more moisture on the ground, which then evaporates and contributes to more storm development.
"It doesn't take much heat to get showers and storms developing. You get it raining, you get all the moisture on the ground and it's just sort of this feedback effect that is not going to change until we get some type of significant, large scale pattern change," he said.
The current rainfall totals have already pushed the region into the top 10 wettest July on record, with more rain in the forecast.
The jet stream's position far to the north, typical for this time of year, means this pattern could persist, though there are signs of potential change.
"I do see maybe a pattern change by the end of this month," he said.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
