NORFOLK, Va. — April has been a wild run of ups and downs weather-wise in Hampton Roads, especially over the past week or so. We broke records and are looking forward to more changes on the horizon.
Last Monday, April 15, it felt like the middle of summer as Norfolk International Airport broke the record high for the day and recorded the first 90° day of the year.
Roughly a week later, on Tuesday morning, most of inland Hampton Roads was under frost advisories and a new record low was measured at Elizabeth City of 35°. Let’s first talk about the record-breaking heat.
That 90° reading was notable. It was the earliest 90° high since 2010, recorded over a month earlier than average, broke the record standing since 1941, was 20° above normal and was our warmest day since early September of last year!
What drove the heat? An exceptionally dry air mass with dew points in the 40s along with southwesterly winds and an approaching cold front. Dry air heats more efficiently and this drove our temperatures to overperform the forecast.
Here’s context as to why 90° in mid-April is so unusual. Just look at the past five years and the occurrences of our first 90° high. It took us until July 1st last year to see 90°, this year’s came two and a half months earlier.
The earliest arrival in the past 5 years was early May.
Now, let’s get back to the chilly weather of late. Check out this morning’s lows, more in line with what we would wake up to in early to mid-March. Normally, this time of year overnight lows only dip into the lower 50s.
Some spots saw frost, that’s a bit unusual, too. Typical last frost dates for our western zones occur in early April.
If you’re hoping for warmer weather, and for it to stay then climatology is on your side. The sun is growing higher in the sky, days are getting longer and we are inching towards summer. Warmer days are imminent and the long-range outlook validates this.