Focus on Central Virginia: 12/8/25 Snow Event

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Weather Headlines:

• Another Quick Dose of Winter: Crashing temperatures combined with a shortwave disturbance passing through Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee will result in a brief snowstorm in much of central and southern Virginia on Monday. A large chunk of the state is under a winter weather advisory, with an area of the southern Piedmont south and west of Petersburg under a winter storm watch. The bulk of the area could see snowfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches before the event ends Monday night. If enough moisture can entrench itself in the region, some areas could see up to 6 inches of snow. Anything that falls is going to freeze as temperatures will drop into the upper teens Monday night.

• Sorry, Kids, It’s Not Sticking Around: Unfortunately, this snow is going to be gone pretty quickly on Tuesday. A warm front associated with another winter storm moving through the Great Lakes will pass through the region on Tuesday morning. Temperatures will soar into the low to mid 40s, which will quickly melt any leftover snow and ice in the area. Temps will be even warmer on Wednesday. Warmer than average temps will persist through Friday, when another frontal system will bring another dose of Arctic air.

In Depth:

Winter has come early for the Richmond area. After a few years with relatively late first snows, this past week saw some accumulating snowfall across much of Central Virginia. Although a lot of that snow has since melted as temperatures have climbed into the 40s over the weekend, we’re about to get another dose of wintry weather as another disturbance moves through the area on Monday.

Unfortunately for snow lovers, while there will be a coastal low moving up the Atlantic coast tonight and tomorrow, it’s not going to “sync up” with this approaching disturbance — the typical recipe for a huge mid-Atlantic winter storm. However, there will be enough moisture in place that the disturbance itself will bring some pretty decent snowfall that might be enough to close schools on Monday and cause delays on Tuesday.

Light snow will move into the area late Monday morning and persist throughout the afternoon and early evening before ending. The actual amounts depend on how much moisture is in place - some models suggest the possibility of higher amounts south and west of Richmond, but as winter storms are finicky, I’m not really willing to go any higher than 1 to 2 inches north of Richmond and 2 to 4 inches south of it.

Any snow that falls will freeze on Monday night as temperatures will drop into the upper teens (low to mid teens further west), and this will likely result in slick roads on Tuesday morning. I wouldn’t be shocked if most schools had delayed openings. By midday Tuesday, a warm front associated with another storm up near the Great Lakes will push through the area and cause temperatures to soar into the low 40s by mid-afternoon, which will quickly melt any remaining snow. Low temperatures around 30 could cause a bit of refreezing, leading to slick roads on Wednesday morning, but anything left will surely melt on Wednesday as temps rise well above 50.

The warm(-ish) weather will stick around through Friday, when a strong cold front will bring much colder air into the region, and this cold air will likely stick around for a while. Expect highs in the 30s and lows in the upper teens this weekend.

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