Temperatures expected to finally rise
What a difference a week can make. Exactly one week after subzero temperatures swept into Fayette County, the region is now experiencing a relative heat wave, with temperatures expected to reach into the 30s the next few days.
But while the warmer weather is really below normal for this time of year, don’t tell that to the people who sat in long lines at area car washes or left their gloves and hats at home on Saturday. Temperatures topped out in the lower 20s on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Russell DeMaris. And that’s only even remotely considered warm because of last week’s extreme cold, he said.
“It’s going to feel more comfortable, at least,” he said.
And things are only going to get warmer, he said – at least for the short term. The NWS is predicting highs in the upper 20s today and into the lower 30s on Monday before dipping back down again later in the week.
This time of year it’s not unusual for any break in the cold – or at the very least, some melting of snow – to be followed by a mad dash to the car washes in the area, but last week’s bitter cold seemed to make folks in the area even more opportunistic.
Gladys Wellington, a clerk at Buzzy’s Mini Mart in Republic, said to put it mildly, the car wash had been “busy.”
Well, make that “busy, busy.”
The two self-serve car wash stalls were occupied Saturday afternoon, with a line of four cars waiting for each one. Across the street, even more cars were parked waiting to get in line.
“OK, it’s been very busy,” she allowed, laughing.
But how did temperatures seesaw from zero to 30 in a few days?
DeMaris said a “shot of extremely cold arctic air” from the north blew into the area last week, causing the extreme cold. This week, “the pattern shifted a little bit” and the area is feeling less of an impact from the cold, arctic air, he said. But, DeMaris said, while 30 degrees is a far cry from below zero, it’s still colder than usual. While it feels pretty good compared to last week, the area still isn’t up to normal temperatures for this time of year.
Meanwhile, the swift change is not really that different than anytime an area sees such drastic temperatures, he added.
“It’s not that peculiar to get back to near normals quickly after sharp abnormal (temperature),” DeMaris said. “And that’s if you’re either above or below normal, too.”
Other than the (relatively) warmer weather, DeMaris said Monday might bring something else to the area: the potential for some heavy snowfall into Tuesday night.
“It’s a little early to tell,” he said. “There’s a potential for something there.”
Which, incidentally, would be just in time to get all those newly washed cars dirty again.