As Monday’s soaking rain is a distant memory, we are welcoming sunshine for days to come across Hampton Roads. But before things warm up, we’ve got one cold night to contend with, where frost is possible for inland locations.

At least it’s not as bad as what those to the north of us are dealing with… snow! In April! And we’re not talking about just a few inches, over a foot of snow fell in parts of New York, near Binghamton. 14.2″ of snow set a new record for snow during a two day event.

So what gives… snow in April? It’s happened plenty of times before. Think of the spring season as more of a transition between winter and summer. During that transition, the Earth is gaining more and more daylight, that means more and more warmth. To compensate, the jet streams slowly lifts to the north. This process isn’t as smooth as we’d like it to be. For every two steps forward there’s one step back. As a result, the jet stream becomes more fluid.

A fluid jet streams allows for cold and warm air to move into places they don’t usually, so day to day weather becomes very changeable. Some we’re far to used to here in Hampton Roads. It also explains how tonight temperatures are dropping to the 30s and low 40s.

Keep an eye on those sensitive plants and just get through tomorrow mornings chill because the rest of the week looks fantastic.

Meteorologist Steve Fundaro