March can be a crazy month weather-wise here in central Virginia. March 12-13 marks the 19th anniversary of one of the most crippling blizzards to ever impact the United States. The Superstorm of '93 as it was named brought snow from Birmingham, Alabama all the way up the eastern seaboard. March can also bring rounds of crippling severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. From a temperature standpoint, you can expect anything from bitter cold to sweltering heat. This week, we are gearing up for an usually warm stretch of weather. Here's the latest on how it will all shake down.

This will be an interesting pattern for two reasons. The first will be our departure from average. Generally speaking, daytime highs will run anywhere from 15-25 degrees above average. That means temperatures that would normally be in the upper 50s will top out close to 80º a few days this week. The second factor making this pattern a bit unusual is the duration. It's not too crazy to imagine a day or two in mid-March with temperatures in the 70s and lower 80s. However, it's quite another thing to have a prolonged period of weather with temperatures so far above the average. Looking out into the long term, it looks like our afternoon highs may very well stay in the 70s into next week before the pattern finally changes. Regardless, the temperatures are feeling spring-like and the plants and flowers are responding and budding accordingly.

By no means are we out of the woods for another cold snap or even more snow! Records indicate snow has fallen in Charlottesville well into April and our temperatures have dipped below freezing into the month of May! So maybe it's not a good idea to shove those jackets away just yet...

Stay cool everyone!

Brantley