Then, after a drop into the mid- to upper 20s tonight, temperatures should approach the mid-50s Wednesday, said Chris Leonardi, meteorologist with the Charleston, W.

Tuesday, November 16, 1999

Then, after a drop into the mid- to upper 20s tonight, temperatures should approach the mid-50s Wednesday, said Chris Leonardi, meteorologist with the Charleston, W.Va., bureau of the National Weather Service.

"We had a really nice cold front go through yesterday to drop us down," Leonardi said Monday. "It was pretty unnoticeable because it was dry, but it did pack a good temperature punch. We’re going to have cool temperatures through Tuesday before it starts warming up to the mid- to low-60s by the end of the week."

Although 60 degrees still might feel a little chilly, area residents should be thankful it’s not worse, Leonardi added.

"Even 60s is above normal, we are in November after all," he said. "We got up to 70 in Huntington, W.Va., Sunday, but I don’t know if we’ll see that again."

It’s time for Mother Nature to hit with all its wintry force, Leonardi said. Some areas have already experienced their first snowflakes, and more cold weather is likely to hit this weekend.

"These warm, sunny days should become a distant memory soon," Leonardi said. "We’ve had a couple of warm bouts already this fall. We’re really starting to get in toward winter."

Don’t expect to be building snowmen anytime soon, however. Although it will get cold enough, rain or snow is not expected anytime soon, Leonardi said.

The drought that left many farmers and area residents in need of clean water has not ended yet, he said.

"We’ve only had an inch to an inch and a half of rain across the region this month," Leonardi said. "We’re pretty much still in a long-term drought. And that might bring back the problems we had in the summer."

Forecasters continue to keep their fingers crossed that some wet weather will head this way, though, Leonardi said.

"We’d like a wet winter so we can start off the next growing season on a good note," he said. "If we don’t have it, the water storage won’t be as high as needed for irrigation. The water needs to catch up in the lakes, ponds and rivers. We’re hoping for a wet winter to build those ponds up."

But, so far no great threats of rain are in sight, Leonardi said.

"There might be a chance of rain late Friday and Saturday, but it doesn’t look like it will be of any significant help," he said.