The temperature rollercoaster continues

The thermometer at the South Hill Mecklenburg-Brunswick Regional Airport "wins" the local prize for low temperature this morning, having recorded a 29º reading. Under sunny skies and with light southerly winds county-wide temperatures will boost into the low 60s this afternoon. That's just about the daily average at this point in March.

What isn't average is the continuing lack of spring rains. This graphic shows the very dry conditions of the top one meter (~3 feet) of soil across Virginia as measured by satellite (white star denotes Mecklenburg County):

This doesn't bode well for farms and gardens, especially as the usually drier summer season draws closer.

With a southerly breeze temperatures won't fall as far tonight, only bottoming out in the upper 40s by dawn Thursday. Tomorrow will then rebound into the upper 70s as the March temperature rollercoaster continues. Those southerly winds will also pump in moister air, helping to alleviate the static electricity resulting from today's very dry air.

A cold front approaching on Friday will deliver some rain late in the day, but liquid amounts look to only total about a quarter-inch. Behind that boundary? Yep, another dip in the temperature rollercoaster for the weekend. More on those details in Friday's blogpost.