Sunshine and cool temperatures for the midweek period

This Wednesday morning began with temperatures of 36, 36, 38, and 39 degrees respectively at Clarksville, Chase City, Boydton, and South Hill weather stations. Coupled with this afternoon's forecast high in the low 60s today will turn out slightly cooler than average. At this point in March those values are 40º for lows and 65º for highs. 

Abundant sunshine and continued dry air will dominate conditions both today and Thursday, with today also featuring some gusty winds. Tomorrow looks to begin even cooler, with local thermometers dipping very close to the freezing mark. That could mean scattered frost around the county, a reminder that it's still too early in the season to plant sensitive flowers or other vegetation. Thursday afternoon's temperatures will then top out in the low 60s.

The recent windiness is a result of the jet stream continuing to dive southward across the eastern U.S. in a series of upper air troughs. These dips foster low pressure systems at the surface, most of which have zoomed eastward across the Great Lakes region as they intensified. Differences in air pressure between these lows (red "L"s on weather maps) and high pressure (blue "H"s) create a pressure gradient, with stronger gradients equalling stronger winds as illustrated here:

These stronger winds are common in the spring as winter's chill struggles to hang on while heat from the equatorial region begins its seasonal march northward. That clash can also result in severe weather, which may well arrive locally early next week. Stay tuned!