Happy Monday and welcome to another edition of Beyond The Forecast!
Spring officially began this past weekend and we’re feeling the warmer temperatures of the new season to kick off another work week.
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A sure sign of spring is the return of the ruby-throated hummingbird to Southwest and Central Virginia! While there haven’t been any sightings here yet, we will likely begin to see our avian friends soon.
Hummingbird Central reports a male ruby-throated hummingbird being spotted at a backyard feeder in Virginia Beach today. That’s the furthest north any have been reported thus far.
The migration into our area typically happens in early to mid-April. Areas south of US 460 see the birds first as they work their way northward.
While we see the ruby-throated hummingbird in our area this spring, other parts of the country will be visited by other species.
For example, Anna’s hummingbird is typically found in California, while the Rufous hummingbird roosts in the Pacific Northwest.
Let us know when you see a hummingbird in your backyard feeder for the first time this spring! You can submit your reports to Hummingbird Central here.
Switching gears to your forecast, it’s a quiet and warm start to the week, but we’ll have a strong storm system to track. Find out when rain and/or severe weather will visit us in Chris Michaels’ daily forecast article.
You can always get specific forecast details for your zone, whether it’s the Roanoke Valley, Lynchburg area, the New River Valley or elsewhere around Southwest and Central Virginia, anytime at WSLS.com/weather. Know your zone!
In case you missed it, we’re posting great weather and science content on WSLS.com. Here are a few links from the past week to check out:
If you prefer your weather information delivered by social media, you can follow Your Local Weather Authority on Facebook and Twitter.
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-- Justin McKee