WOAY-TV (Oak Hill, WV): After springboarding off the tenth warmest summer on record, we are dipping to frosty levels early on September 9 and 10.
The Frost Advisories issued for the Greenbrier Valley and points north of Fayetteville along Route 19 will likely be expanded to eastern Fayette and Raleigh, Summers and western Greenbrier County. Air temperatures of 36 degrees will occur across these locations and that’s enough for frost formation.
However, the recent dry stretch and severe to extreme drought is limiting surface soil moisture available for frost formation in the morning. So, frost probably won’t be too evident when you walk outside to go to work or school. Only scattered frost is expected on cars, best chance are those folks who live in the river valleys like Thurmond. That being said, the cold weather will form frost on the potted flowers you have been watering all summer.
Frost Advisories will be hoisted again for Tuesday morning thanks to dew points in the low 30s, clear skies and a calm wind once again. Bring in those potted plants again Monday evening and again, don’t be surprised NOT to see frost BUT to see temperatures in the range for frost formation (32-36 degrees).
The next question is how rare frost alerts are for the early part of September. The answer: in the last 18 years, this is the earliest the weather service in both Charleston, W.Va. and Blacksburg, Va., have issued Frost Advisories. The second and third earliest for Frost Advisories in our mountain counties include mid-September in both 2020, 2014 and 2012.
We are far ahead of schedule for the first light frost. Typically, the advisories don’t begin until October 8 along and just east of Route 19 to October 26 in the Greenbrier Valley.
Dew points in the lower 30s from the Canaan Valley to Snowshoe will allow the deeper valleys in northern West Virginia’s Alleghenies to bottom out near to below freezing. High pressure centered over the Middle Atlantic will likely allow West Virginia to win the award for the coldest spot in the U.S. for Monday morning!
And, yes, the shorter daylight and cool nights will prompt more of the drought-stricken tree leaves to change color and drop off this week. We have mentioned this many times, but the fall foliage season will be peaking soon and won’t be nearly as brilliant as last year.
