Focus on Central Virginia - 10/15 through 10/21/25: It's gettin' cold in here

Weather Headlines for Central Virginia:

• Actual, Actual Fall — The nor’easter that brought blustery conditions to the region over the weekend is long gone, and fall looks like it’s finally here to stay with pleasant conditions, with the exception of a chance of showers late this weekend as a cold front moves through.

• First Frost? First Freeze? — A dry cold front will move through the area today, reinforcing the cooler air over the region. The result? It’s gonna be cold. Really cold. So cold that Thursday night could bring parts of the region their first frost of the season. Parts of the Piedmont could actually see their first freeze of the season, as low temperatures west of I-95 will drop into the 30s.

In Depth:

• That pesky nor’easter that wouldn’t go away has…well, gone away. The result? Pleasant weather across the whole region. Central Virginia should see mostly sunny skies with highs in the low to mid 70s, with upper 60s near the beaches and on the Eastern Shore. Low temperatures tonight will be in the upper 40s.

• Tomorrow will be MUCH cooler. A dry cold front will push through the area late tonight. It won’t bring any rain or even any clouds, but it will bring much cooler air to the region, the coolest of the season so far. Whereas highs today will be in the 70s, much of the area will struggle to get over 65° tomorrow, and temperatures may barely get over 60° at the beaches and on the Eastern Shore! Of course, you can probably guess what this means for Thursday night into Friday…

• …that’s cold! Much of the area will be waking up to temperatures in the upper 30s to around 40 (except for in downtown Richmond). Don’t be surprised to see some patchy frost on your windshield on Friday morning! The story gets even more interesting out west — temps in the Piedmont could drop into the low to mid 30s. There is a chance that some of the western portions of the region could see their first freeze if temperatures drop just a bit lower than currently forecast. High temps on Friday will be about the same as tomorrow - low to mid 60s across most of the region, slightly cooler at the coast. Saturday should be a bit warmer with highs around 70° and lows in the low 40s. It should be noted that our average low is still in the 50s this time of year, so it’ll be quite cold.

• Sunday will be a bit of an anomaly — a strong cold front approaching from the west will bring increased chances of rain and possible thunderstorms to the area. The best chance of rain will happen overnight Sunday into Monday. Don’t be surprised if gusty winds accompany these showers. Once the front passes through, it’ll be back to the same pleasant weather we’ve been having. Monday and Tuesday should have sunny skies, high temperatures in the upper 60s to around 70° and lows in the mid to upper 40s.

• Here’s a summary of this week’s weather for the Richmond area:

One last thing…

• Do you like what you see? Please consider sending a tip via Ko-fi! I wear a lot of hats between a day job, being a photographer, and being a worldwide weather enthusiast, and while I will never put any of my content behind a paywall (paywalls kind of defeat the purpose of this blog/newsletter/thingy), your tips definitely help! You can send a tip via the following link: https://ko-fi.com/willweaverrva