Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Now this is winter
Jason Samenow @ 1:20 AM
Wind chill advisories. Alberta clippers. Possible major snow event. We're now getting payback for those 70 degree days and 60 degree nights earlier in the month.
Wind chill Advisory. First things first, a wind chill advisory is in effect until 10am today. Air temperatures will be near 10 and wind chills will be between zero and ten below this morning. Dress in layers. FYI: Many schools are opening two hours late across the area due to the cold. Personally, I think these school systems are getting soft. It's gonna be cold, but not THAT cold. In any event, afternoon highs should reach the mid to upper 20s with wind chills in the teens.
Twin Clippers. (sounds like a barbershop) Two fast moving clippers look to affect the region on Wednesday and, importantly, Thursday -- Inauguration Day. Both may a bring a short period of snow during the daytime hours. There may be a light accumulation from one or both of the systems. Right now, I'd give 50/50 odds that we get our first inch of snow by Thursday evening. Tomorrow, we'll post an accumulation outlook and a more detailed description about what to expect and when.
Major snow event? There's a buzz going around about the potential for a significant snowstorm this weekend. And I'll admit to being a bit fired up about it. The overall pattern generally supports the possibility and some models show quite a storm developing. But I'm going to caution folks that most snowstorms shown in models more than 4 days out are virtual...that is they do not materialize in real life. Large snowstorms in DC are quite rare and require a lot of elements to come together. Right now, I would say a significant snowstorm (exceeding 6") is possible, but not necessarily likely. I do think it's likely that at a minimum some light accumulating snow will fall over the weekend. More on this storm tomorrow.
Other stuff.
Wind chill Advisory. First things first, a wind chill advisory is in effect until 10am today. Air temperatures will be near 10 and wind chills will be between zero and ten below this morning. Dress in layers. FYI: Many schools are opening two hours late across the area due to the cold. Personally, I think these school systems are getting soft. It's gonna be cold, but not THAT cold. In any event, afternoon highs should reach the mid to upper 20s with wind chills in the teens.
Twin Clippers. (sounds like a barbershop) Two fast moving clippers look to affect the region on Wednesday and, importantly, Thursday -- Inauguration Day. Both may a bring a short period of snow during the daytime hours. There may be a light accumulation from one or both of the systems. Right now, I'd give 50/50 odds that we get our first inch of snow by Thursday evening. Tomorrow, we'll post an accumulation outlook and a more detailed description about what to expect and when.
Overall storm assessment (for both clippers combined):
Storm Impact:
Travelcast:
Schoolcast (for Thursday, 1/20):
Major snow event? There's a buzz going around about the potential for a significant snowstorm this weekend. And I'll admit to being a bit fired up about it. The overall pattern generally supports the possibility and some models show quite a storm developing. But I'm going to caution folks that most snowstorms shown in models more than 4 days out are virtual...that is they do not materialize in real life. Large snowstorms in DC are quite rare and require a lot of elements to come together. Right now, I would say a significant snowstorm (exceeding 6") is possible, but not necessarily likely. I do think it's likely that at a minimum some light accumulating snow will fall over the weekend. More on this storm tomorrow.
Other stuff.
- Please officially welcome Dan Stillman to the CapitalWeather team. His bio has been added on our About the Site page and he will post each Wednesday. Dan's debut post was last week.
- The Washingtonian "Best of Washington" article that mentions CapitalWeather is now available in full on Washingtonian's website.
- Here is a great link on the history and climatology of winter storms in Virginia, written and compiled by the National Weather Service: Virginia Winters: Snow, ice, wind and cold
- And today's idiot award goes to now ex-KTNV (Las Vegas) weatherman Rob Blair who "accidentally" used a racial slur in describing Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Las Vegas weatherman fired after on-air racial slur (Associated Press)
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