Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Brushing Away the Snow, Bracing for More Cold
Dan Stillman @ 6:15 AM
Temperatures primarily in the teens gave the overnight snowfall a powdery and highly brushable consistency. Unlike many snow events in the DC area, surface temperatures were cold enough that every flake stuck, from the very beginning of the storm around 9-10pm last night to the very end of the storm early this morning.
The 1-2 inches of snow that fell across the immediate metro area was enough to cancel many school districts this morning. Young or old, whatever time you end up making it outside today you're guaranteed to feel a bitter chill. The forecast details follow, including a look into the Snow Lover's Crystal Ball which teases the potential for more snow by this time next week.
Clearing skies, chilling wind. Behind the storm, skies will clear rapidly during the morning leading to a mostly sunny day. But as the sun emerges, the wind picks up to 15-20mph. So while temperatures will reach the upper 20s to near 30, wind chills will be in the teens for most of the day. Tonight, mostly clear and very cold with a bit of a breeze. Lows in the mid teens downtown, near 10 degrees in the burbs.
Still windy, still cold. After a frigid morning with wake-up temps in the teens, afternoon highs should climb to the low 30s under mostly sunny skies. At 10-15 mph, the wind will once again be a factor. Wind chills will likely start the day in the single digits, maxing out in the upper teens to low 20s in the afternoon. Overnight, much like the previous night -- mostly clear and and very cold with a bit of a breeze. Lows in the mid teens downtown, near 10 in the burbs.
Pretty much the same as Thursday. The coldness continues along with the wind. It should be mostly sunny with highs in the low 30s, wind chills in the teens to mid 20s. Overnight, with diminishing winds and clear skies, lows should drop to the upper teens downtown, low teens in the burbs.
Less windy, slightly warmer. We'll have to keep our eye on a low pressure area that may try to develop along a frontal boundary to our south. But for now, it looks like that low would stay south, if it even develops. That would leave us with a partly sunny, less windy and slightly warmer weekend, with Saturday and Sunday highs in the mid 30s, and a Saturday night low in the upper teens to low 20s.
Snow Lover's Crystal Ball 
Next Chance of Accumulating Snow:
Tuesday Feb. 13 - Wednesday Feb. 14
Probability: 30%
Potential Impact:
Commentary: With some surprising consistency this far out, models are hinting at the possibility of a substantial winter storm for the East Coast during the Tuesday-Wednesday period of next week. There are some promising signs for snow, including a juicy storm coming from the south, high pressure to the north to hold cold air in, and the fact that we often see some of our biggest storms in mid-February. But you don't need me to tell you that models aren't very reliable nearly a week in advance. We'll keep an eye on it.
*Snow Mapping: Plot your snowfall totals here using our interactive mapper. You can view totals submitted here.
*Storm photography: Flickr users should submit snow photos using the tag "capitalWxFeb0707." Photos submitted can be viewed here.
*Storm photography: Flickr users should submit snow photos using the tag "capitalWxFeb0707." Photos submitted can be viewed here.
The 1-2 inches of snow that fell across the immediate metro area was enough to cancel many school districts this morning. Young or old, whatever time you end up making it outside today you're guaranteed to feel a bitter chill. The forecast details follow, including a look into the Snow Lover's Crystal Ball which teases the potential for more snow by this time next week.
Today
Clearing skies, chilling wind. Behind the storm, skies will clear rapidly during the morning leading to a mostly sunny day. But as the sun emerges, the wind picks up to 15-20mph. So while temperatures will reach the upper 20s to near 30, wind chills will be in the teens for most of the day. Tonight, mostly clear and very cold with a bit of a breeze. Lows in the mid teens downtown, near 10 degrees in the burbs.Tomorrow
Still windy, still cold. After a frigid morning with wake-up temps in the teens, afternoon highs should climb to the low 30s under mostly sunny skies. At 10-15 mph, the wind will once again be a factor. Wind chills will likely start the day in the single digits, maxing out in the upper teens to low 20s in the afternoon. Overnight, much like the previous night -- mostly clear and and very cold with a bit of a breeze. Lows in the mid teens downtown, near 10 in the burbs.Pretty much the same as Thursday. The coldness continues along with the wind. It should be mostly sunny with highs in the low 30s, wind chills in the teens to mid 20s. Overnight, with diminishing winds and clear skies, lows should drop to the upper teens downtown, low teens in the burbs.The Weekend
Less windy, slightly warmer. We'll have to keep our eye on a low pressure area that may try to develop along a frontal boundary to our south. But for now, it looks like that low would stay south, if it even develops. That would leave us with a partly sunny, less windy and slightly warmer weekend, with Saturday and Sunday highs in the mid 30s, and a Saturday night low in the upper teens to low 20s.Next Chance of Accumulating Snow:
Tuesday Feb. 13 - Wednesday Feb. 14
Probability: 30%
Potential Impact:
Commentary: With some surprising consistency this far out, models are hinting at the possibility of a substantial winter storm for the East Coast during the Tuesday-Wednesday period of next week. There are some promising signs for snow, including a juicy storm coming from the south, high pressure to the north to hold cold air in, and the fact that we often see some of our biggest storms in mid-February. But you don't need me to tell you that models aren't very reliable nearly a week in advance. We'll keep an eye on it.
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