WSET.com - ABC13Finally, RAIN by Matt Ferguson

After several weeks of dry and hot weather, a rainy weather pattern has developed. Of course, every drop we get will help the region's moderate drought that developed late last summer. During the last 6 days most locations received 3 to 5 inches of rain, which has also started to chip away at our 2010 precipitation shortfall.

It is fascinating to point out, up until last Wednesday (9/22), Lynchburg had only picked up 0.04" during the month of September, putting us at a monthly deficit of -2.76". Yes, typically late summer/early fall can be very dry, but tropical moisture from a once hurricane or weak tropical storm can change things. While the recent rain wasn't from the remnants of a hurricane, tropical moisture up against a stalled frontal boundary, combined with an upper level low can certainly bring a spell of very wet weather to the area. Right now, it looks like another good dose of rain is on the way Wednesday night into Thursday, followed by a big cool down. This will be the coolest weather we have seen since last spring.  

The recent and upcoming rainfall is not only beneficial because we need it, but our winter may end up rather dry. This will be a La Nina winter, meaning the temperatures in our largest ocean, the Pacific, will be cool or below normal. This causes weather patterns across our region of the United States to be drier and warmer than normal during winter months when that La Nina is present. This is not to say we will not have cold shots and a few snow events, but the likelihood of snowstorms similar to last year will be much lower. We'll just have to wait and see what happens in the coming months. In any case, it is wonderful to have raindrops on the ABC-13 forecast maps once again, at least for the near term. Enjoy the much needed rainfall!!!