THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 20, 1995 TAG: 9504200598
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
No, it wasn't raining - that was sweat dripping from your brow.
Hampton Roads and the Outer Banks of North Carolina had the feel of summer Wednesday as the mercury climbed to record levels.
People ditched long pants in favor of shorts and many motorists had their first chance this year to test out their air conditioning.
In Norfolk, the temperature reached 92 degrees at 4 p.m. at the National Weather Service office at Norfolk International Airport. That tied a record set in 1896 and matched in 1985.
It was cooler on the Outer Banks, where the mercury hit 81 at the National Weather Service office in Buxton, but that mark topped by one degree a record posted in 1917.
The hottest readings in the mid-Atlantic were 94 at Fort Bragg, N.C., and 93 in Fayetteville. Neither of those readings was a record, however.
The hot weather arrived as a warm front pushed through Northern Virginia, Maryland and Delaware early Wednesday. A combination of mostly sunny skies and southwesterly winds allowed temperatures to climb to the warmest readings seen so far this spring.
A cold front was expected to push through overnight, however, bringing partly cloudy skies with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm in eastern Virginia.
Summerlike weather often brings thunderstorms to the region, and any rainfall would be welcome given that precipitation this year is about 75 percent of normal.
Monthly precipitation for April was just three-quarters of an inch as of Wednesday, well below the almost 2 inches of rain that normally falls by mid-April. For the year, precipitation to date is 8.89 inches. Normal yearly precipitation to date is 12.87 inches.
The next chance for any generous rainfall comes tonight. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
[Weather Report]
[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB