Photos: Basking in that warm January sunshine

VIRGINIA BEACH

New Year. New weather.

It was only a week ago that the worst snowstorm in more than 20 years blanketed Hampton Roads with 14 inches of the white stuff.

On Saturday, remnants of that storm could be found in patches and piles around the region, but there was no trace of it in the weather. Sunny, warm skies with the mercury reaching 65 degrees allowed folks to forgo boots and parkas for shorts and T-shirts.

Or, in the case of Mount Trashmore, evening gowns and pajamas. The Hair of the Dog 5K, which encouraged folks to wear their evening wear from New Year's Eve, attracted runners of all kinds seeking to ring in the new year with a little exercise.

"It's actually hot," said a sweaty Steve Speirs, wearing a sleeveless shirt.

Renee High, the first female finisher, carried hand-warmers she didn't need.

"You know the weather can change daily here, so I'm not totally surprised, but I'm very happy," High said. "That's partly why I like Virginia Beach. You can be in shorts in January."

Or in David Snyder's case, a kilt. The Afton, Va., resident also donned bunny ears.

Running in a kilt? "Why not?" he said. "It's longer than the shorts underneath."

"It's a fabulous day outside," said his sister-in-law, Kathleen McBlair.

Dee and Bob Shackford were celebrating their fifth anniversary with a run. Dee wore pink pajamas, a white robe and orange sneakers, while Bob looked fashionable in his New England Patriot PJs.

"These aren't even flannel pajamas; it's great out here," she said. "But we're crazy runners. Weather doesn't matter. It's ideal to be out here on a day like this, but two years ago we were here when it was 14 degrees with the wind blowing."

At the Oceanfront, the beach was busy with folks walking dogs, riding bikes and sticking their toes in water that didn't match the pleasant air temperature. Ted Jamison and Megan Carras walked along the sand with 7-year-old Josie in between. Nobody wore a jacket. They had driven from Charlottesville and were surprised to see what little snow still remained.

"It's not cold," Jamison said. "I saw some snow on the beach and wanted to make a snow-sand ball. That's something you don't see every day."

The region didn't break any weather records for the first day of the year, said WVEC meteorologist Evan Stewart. The high in Norfolk was 63 degrees, well short of the record high of 75 set in 1985, he said.

But December - with an average temperature of 35.1 degrees and 17.8 inches of snow - ended up being the fourth-coldest and the second-snowiest to date, Stewart said. 

Pilot writer Kathy Adams contributed to this report.