Garden Trade Nursery & Garden Shop

Photography by Paul Purpura
Nelson County Life Magazine – Copyright 2007
Fog on the slopes @ Wintergreen & droplets on a day lily
Wintergreen Mountain, Virginia

Thursday was a gloomy day across Central Virginia and Nelson County. If you were up on the mountains anywhere you were in the clouds. A low gray level of clouds blanketed the area all day. In the pictures above Paul Purpura caught a shot of an almost ghostly looking ski lift at Wintergreen. Below that, using his super duper lens, he got a fantastic closeup of water droplets on a day lily on the mountain. I was up there at lunch Thursday, it was one soggy day.

Over the past 24-36 hours many folks have seen over an inch of rain while others have barely seen a tenth of an inch. Generally speaking most everyone has seen a little something though. Today we’ll pretty much stay socked in with the clouds for one more day before the weather begins a major improvement.

On the current surface map the stubborn low off of the New England coast continues to spin clouds our way. Old moisture areas continue to hang in the Central VA area as well. Eventually high pressure will win out and we’ll begin to see clearing skies by the weekend. I think we might even see a peek at the sun late today in some locations.
Current-Sat Surface Map

On the National Forecast Map, not much happens today and it will look much like Thursday did. Winds will go more southerly, so we warm up just a tad more than Thursday. Low gray clouds with scattered rain showers. If we do get a little sun we could see an isolated thundershower develop, but that is a long shot.
Today’s Forecast Map

*Today Mostly cloudy, still cool with passing showers on occasion. Patchy fog early, then light showers throughout the day, but only about 20% of the area will see them at any given time. We may see breaks in the clouds by late afternoon.
*High temps in Shipman, Tye River, and Woods Mill around 71 degrees.
*On the mountains above 2000 feet along the BRP, Wintergreen, Three Ridges, Devil’s Knob, and Montebello, mostly cloudy very foggy with misty rain most of the day. Highs top out around 67 degrees. Winds S 5-10.

*Tonight Mostly cloudy trending to partly cloudy after midnight. Fog developing again.
*Lows valley 58 degrees.
*On the mountains overnight low of 55.
*Winds S 5 MPH.

*In the extended outlook
Saturday Mostly cloudy, slightly warmer.
*High 73 valley – 65 on mountains.
Saturday becoming mostly sunny, much warmer. Highs 84 valley around 73 mountains. Overnight lows generally in the upper 50’s to near 60 valley, & same mountains. By Sunday skies remain mostly sunny with highs reaching near 90.

Next real chances for rain come back in the forecast around Wed of next week.

Remember when severe weather or news breaks out, come here. We’ll have all of the latest watches, warnings, and coverage affecting Nelson County, Wintergreen, and nearby counties.

Have a great Friday and weekend!

Know your Nelson
-T-

Garden Trade Nursery & Garden Shop

Photography by Jeff & Tam Stone
For Nelson County Life Magazine – Copyright 2007
Summer Vacation at the Beach
Wrightsville Beach, NC

Wednesday was pretty much a day to head out to the beach just like this one in Nelson County near Beech Grove. The surf was up and the Stone kids from Rhue Hollow had a great time. Okay, maybe it wasn’t a beach here in Nelson, but they all are from Nelson! These are a couple of shots Jeff & Tam Stone, owners of Wintergreen Winery, sent our way last night of their girls having a big time at Wrightsville Beach, NC.

On Wednesday less of us saw the showers than we did on Tuesday. A couple of heavy, near severe storms did develop yesterday in Augusta, but they never moved into Nelson. Around 10 PM last night we did have a cluster of thunderstorms form in the eastern sections of the county pretty much from 29 east. Bo Holland told us she had very heavy rain on Duncan Hollow Rd with a lot of the ditches washed out. David Brooks over at Shipman tells us he got about 1.5 inches of rain over at Shipman. Here at NCL-Nelson County Life Magazine in Greenfield we didn’t get anything in the bucket by midnight. On the mountain at NCL-Wintergreen Nature Fountadion @ Devil’s Knob, the rain gauge picked just 02″ inches of rain by midnight. Head toward NCL-Tiger Fuel in Lovingston, and they picked the same with 02″ inches of rain. Ironically they got that before last night and it didn’t get in the gauge suring the late night storms. You can see other rain totals across the county by clicking here.

On the current surface map high pressure to our north will have to take a back seat for a couple more days before it finally brings us partly sunny skies and warming temps. Today we’ll see lots of clouds and very cool temps due to lack of sunshine. We will struggle to make 70 degrees for a high today.
Current-Sat Surface Map

On the National Forecast Map, moisture left from overnight thunderstorms and a moist layer of clouds moving in from the Atlantic continues to keep us with a chance of showers today. Can’t rule out a stray thunderstorm in the far southern regions but we are pretty much locked into clouds, cool temps and showers. SW Virginia has a chance to see stronger storms where they will see more sunshine. I am seeing the cloud line sneek close to Central Virginia on this morning’s local satellite image. Much of West Virginia is seeing ample sunshine this morning. High pressure is trying to work in, but the clouds moving in from the E and NE will give it a tough battle.
Today’s Forecast Map

*Today Mostly cloudy & cool with passing showers from time to time. Patchy fog early, with isolated showers in the morning an isolated thundershower possible in the late afternoon for about 40% of the area.
*High temps in Faber, Martin’s Store, and Piney River upper 60’s to around 70 degrees.
*On the mountains above 2000 feet along the BRP, Wintergreen, Three Ridges, Devil’s Knob, and Montebello, mostly cloudy with scattered afternoon thunderstorms. Highs top out around 63 degrees. Winds E 5-10.

*Tonight Mostly cloudy.
*Lows valley 55 degrees.
*On the mountains overnight low of 52.
*Winds NE 5 MPH.

*In the extended outlook
Friday Mostly cloudy, slightly warmer.
*High 73 valley – 65 on mountains.
Saturday partly sunny Highs 85 valley around 80 mountains. Overnight lows generally in the mid & upper 50’s valley, & same mountains. The remainder of the weekend still looks generally dry with partly to mostly sunny skies with temps reaching the lower 90’s by Sunday

Remember when severe weather or news breaks out, come here. We’ll have all of the latest watches, warnings, and coverage affecting Nelson County, Wintergreen, and nearby counties.

Have a great Thurs!

Know your Nelson
-T-

Garden Trade Nursery & Garden Shop

Photography by Paul Purpura
Nelson County Life Magazine – Copyright 2007
Squirrel at Blackrock Village
Wintergreen, Virginia

Tuesday started out much like today will, a bit of fog burning off by mid-morning, then thunderstorms in the afternoon. But between showers and thunderstorms our photographer extraordinaire, Paul Purpura who lives year round on the mountain, grabbed this shot of a squirrel having an afternoon snack! Sammy the squirrel will have to eat between storms again this afternoon.

Many of us saw much needed showers and thunderstorms throughout the afternoon Tuesday. Here at NCL-Nelson County Life Magazine in Greenfield we picked up .20″ of rain with an afternoon high of 84 degrees. On the mountain at NCL-Wintergreen Nature Fountadion @ Devil’s Knob, the rain gauge picked up a tenth of an inch, with an afternoon high of 78 degrees. A degree cooler than Monday. At NCL-Tiger Fuel in Lovingston, they picked up a thrid of an inch of rain with an afternoon high of 84 degrees. You can view other rain totals across the county by clicking here. Weather stations at Delfosse Winery and Wintergreen Winery are still out. One due to lightning and the other due to a computer problem at Wintergreen Winery. We’re working to get both resolved. Soon there will be another station in the vicinity of Beech Grove so there will be an alternate station to check in there area.

On the current surface map below, high pressure to the north continues to pull down milder air. The area across Central Virginia and Nelson County remains very moist and will become unstable again as the day progresses. This will allow thunderstorm development.
Current-Sat Surface Map

On the National Forecast Map, moisture left from overnight thunderstorms will help refire storms today. Some of these storms will become severe as the day wears on.
Today’s Forecast Map

*Today Mostly sunny this morning, with partly cloudy skies this afternoon with those scattered heavy thunderstorms possible in about 50% of the area.
*High temps in Nellysford, Schuyler, and Tyro 82 degrees.
*On the mountains above 2000 feet along the BRP, Wintergreen, Three Ridges, Devil’s Knob, and Montebello, partly cloudy with scattered heavy afternoon thunderstorms. Highs top out around 70 degrees. Winds NE 5-10. Gusty near thunderstorms.

*Tonight numerous thunderstorms over 60% of the area, becoming isolated after midnight, dense fog in areas where it rains.
*Lows valley 50 degrees.
*On the mountains overnight low of 53.
*Winds E 5-10 MPH.

*In the extended outlook
Thursday Much cooler. Mostly cloudy. 20% isolated thundershowers. High 71 valley – 63 on mountains.
Friday partly to mostly cloudy. Highs 80 valley around 67 mountains. Overnight lows generally in the low 50’s valley, upper 40’s mountains by Sat morning. The weekend still looks generally dry with partly to mostly sunny skies with temps in the mid 80’s Sat warming to lower 90’s by Sunday.

Remember when severe weather or news breaks out, come here. We’ll have all of the latest watches, warnings, and coverage affecting Nelson County, Wintergreen, and nearby counties.

Have a great Wed!

Know your Nelson
-T-