October is typically a pretty dry month for us and that has been the case until this week. Remember last week and this past weekend? What beautiful weather we enjoyed!
Through Oct. 10, we received less than a tenth of an inch of rain. Before the current storm system, the last decent amount of rain fell two and a half weeks ago. In October, generally speaking, we do not get a lot of rain. For Lynchburg and Southside, slightly more than 3 inches is typical.
During the month of October, we see more cold fronts dropping into the region from the north. That shifts our winds to the north and northwest, pulling dry and cooler air in. This drier air typically prohibits rain from falling.
The current storm system actually came from the south, bucking the trend a bit, bringing with it moisture from both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
The rain is needed. Rainfall deficits in Lynchburg are now more than 4.5 inches below normal, while Danville is more than 7 inches below where it should be for this time of year. Because this rain will likely fall over an extended period of time (48 hours or so), the flooding potential appears to be low.
Drier conditions will return late this week into early next week, including the weekend. So, if you like sunshine, please be patient for just another day or two.
Haniewich is chief meteorologist for WSLS Channel 10. His column is published each Wednesday.
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