FROM RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH – Richmond, Va. — After three straight days of triple-digit temperatures, here’s a warming thought: Richmond’s traditionally hottest stretch is yet to come.
The second half of July is, on average, the region’s warmest spell, and early August can be brutal, too.
“I won’t say we will continue to have a heat wave, but we’ve got plenty of hot weather to go,” said James Foster, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
The high temperature in Richmond yesterday hit 104, which broke the record of 103 set in 1977. That followed highs of 103 on Tuesday and 100 on Monday.
The heat has been linked to at least three deaths across the state. It has dried lawns, lowered streams, raised concerns about possible water restrictions, and turned lunch-time power walkers into indoor wimps.
“I am so-o-o hot,” said Sadie Williams, 8, of Short Pump as she visited Brown’s Island in Richmond yesterday with her father and two sisters. “Sometimes, the second I get into my car, I start sweating.”
Richmond’s torrid June and July have produced six days so far that reached 100 or hotter. The record for 100-degree-plus days in a year here is nine in 1954.
Virginia is not yet in a drought, but most of the state, including central Virginia, is abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a weekly report by federal and academic scientists.
Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico are considering asking people to conserve water if the dry weather continues. Requests could come as early as next week.
“However, a strong thunderstorm or two can push that time out,” said Arthur D. Petrini, Henrico’s utilities director. “It’s still a little early to predict.” Gov. Bob McDonnell warned Virginians that the dry conditions make the state ripe for wildfires.
“Something as seemingly benign as parking your car or truck on a patch of dry grass could result in a fire that burns hundreds of acres of field or forest,” McDonnell said.
Ozone, the main pollutant in smog, hit the Code Orange level yesterday and marked Richmond’s fourth straight day of unhealthful air. Before this week, ozone had not hit unsafe levels since September 2008. Ozone should be in the safe zone today.
Levels of tiny airborne particles such as soot and dust were high yesterday, which created a whitish haze across the region.
Dan Salkovitz, a meteorologist with the state Department of Environmental Quality, said the pollution may have been produced by, among other things, coal-burning power plants that were working hard to produce electricity during the heat wave.
That heat wave should recede slightly today and tomorrow as cooler air moves into the region and drops temperatures into the mid-90s, the weather service said.
That air will be more moist, so “it might feel a little more muggy,” said Tim Gingrich, a weather service meteorologist.
Beyond that, the forecast calls for a cold front to move through the area tomorrow night and Saturday. That should drop the temperature to about 90 on Saturday and might even cause some rain.
Forecasters expect highs in the low 90s on Sunday and early next week.
For more information on this story, contact Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Rex Springston at (804) 649-6453 or rspringston@timesdispatch.com
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