Increased fire danger in Hampton Roads Tuesday; Norfolk could see record heat Thursday

Hampton Roads is facing increased fire danger, followed by what is expected to be record-breaking heat on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service’s forecast.

Central and eastern Virginia will see a combination of low humidity and high winds. Hampton Roads will have a minimum relative humidity of 32% with winds gusts ranging from 25 to 32 mph.

Residents should avoid activities involving outdoor fires or sparks until 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to NWS meteorologist Alex Butner.

The forecast calls for a high of 81 degrees in Norfolk on Thursday, which would be the hottest temperature for Feb. 23 on record for the city. The current record for Feb. 23 was set in 1975 when it reached 79, according to Butner.

“For Thursday we have a pretty strong southerly, southwest wind into the area bringing a lot of that warm air into the region,” Butner said.

He added that this abnormal heat is part of a pattern this year in which the west coast has seen cooler temperatures while the east coast has been warmer.

This meteorological winter, which differs from the astronomical winter and runs from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28, has so far been the 15th hottest for Norfolk since the NWS began tracking temperatures here in 1875. The average over that period is 46.7 degrees through Tuesday, but it will likely increase after Thursday and the following days leading up to the 28th, Butner said.

The hottest winter for Norfolk on record was in 1889 when the average from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28 was 51.7 degrees, and the second hottest winter was in 1931. The top 10 hottest winters for Norfolk include 2016-2017, which comes in at No. 7, and 2015-2016, at No. 9, according to Butner.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com