Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Seasonable Late Winter Weather
Matt Ross @ 12:02 AM
We will wrap up February with seasonably cool and uneventful weather. Despite some warmer temperatures toward the end of the month, February will finish well below normal.
Overcast, Cool. Today will be partly to mostly cloudy and seasonable. Afternoon highs will be in the upper 40s to around 50; quite normal for the end of February in this season of extremes.
Mostly Sunny, Breezy. Tonight will be partly cloudy with temperatures near normal. Pre-dawn readings will be in the upper 20s to the low 30s. The late February sun, similar in strength to mid-October, will help to warm a rather crisp day on Wednesday. Afternoon highs will reach the mid to upper 40s. See Jason's forecast for the rest of the week and weekend.
Pictured Above Right: Mt. Pleasant late morning on Sunday, courtesy of CapitalWeather.com Photographer, Ian Livingston.
Time waits for no one. Spring is near, and a gradual move toward warmer air is inevitable. Nevertheless, this February is not soon to be forgotten. It will likely finish as the coldest February at National Airport(DCA) in 67 years, and in the top 15 coldest in DC since 1871. Additionally, it is likely to finish colder than all but 5 January's at DCA, and in the top 10 coldest months overall. So despite a very warm December and January, both averaging around 5 degrees above normal, the overall winter average will only finish about 1 degree above normal. I am going to wait until the end of March to do a full recap of our winter outlook. There are some bright points, but overall there is still a lot more to improve. I do not have a real feel for March this year. We went above normal in our outlook, but I wouldn't be surprised if it had a hard time shaking the trend of February, and leaned cold. I will hold my tongue regarding snow. Perhaps that will help us get more;)
I certainly don't think we act like a formidable snow city. We panic with even the prospect of flurries, and 2-hr. delays are as frequent as the common cold. Nevertheless, we do get our fair share of snow events, often making a greater impact than their totals would suggest. In the last 5 winters(this one being the 5th), I have received 35 measurable snow events(at least 1/4") here in NW DC with 22 of them an inch or more. From December 5th, 2002 through this past Sunday, 103" of flakes have accumulated in my backyard, with many more flurry and trace dusting events. Yet each occurrence is met with the same hysteria and overreaction as the last one. Part of me would like to see us handle these nuisances with greater aplomb, but there is something strangely endearing and comforting about the fact that we can always count on the irrationality of Washingtonians when the 4-letter word is mentioned. So far this season DCA, BWI, and IAD have 7.6", 9.4", and 11.4" respectively, or about 50% of our 30 yr. averages.
Today
Overcast, Cool. Today will be partly to mostly cloudy and seasonable. Afternoon highs will be in the upper 40s to around 50; quite normal for the end of February in this season of extremes.
Tonight and Tomorrow
Mostly Sunny, Breezy. Tonight will be partly cloudy with temperatures near normal. Pre-dawn readings will be in the upper 20s to the low 30s. The late February sun, similar in strength to mid-October, will help to warm a rather crisp day on Wednesday. Afternoon highs will reach the mid to upper 40s. See Jason's forecast for the rest of the week and weekend.
Pictured Above Right: Mt. Pleasant late morning on Sunday, courtesy of CapitalWeather.com Photographer, Ian Livingston.
February Wrap-up
Time waits for no one. Spring is near, and a gradual move toward warmer air is inevitable. Nevertheless, this February is not soon to be forgotten. It will likely finish as the coldest February at National Airport(DCA) in 67 years, and in the top 15 coldest in DC since 1871. Additionally, it is likely to finish colder than all but 5 January's at DCA, and in the top 10 coldest months overall. So despite a very warm December and January, both averaging around 5 degrees above normal, the overall winter average will only finish about 1 degree above normal. I am going to wait until the end of March to do a full recap of our winter outlook. There are some bright points, but overall there is still a lot more to improve. I do not have a real feel for March this year. We went above normal in our outlook, but I wouldn't be surprised if it had a hard time shaking the trend of February, and leaned cold. I will hold my tongue regarding snow. Perhaps that will help us get more;)
DC, Snow Town??
I certainly don't think we act like a formidable snow city. We panic with even the prospect of flurries, and 2-hr. delays are as frequent as the common cold. Nevertheless, we do get our fair share of snow events, often making a greater impact than their totals would suggest. In the last 5 winters(this one being the 5th), I have received 35 measurable snow events(at least 1/4") here in NW DC with 22 of them an inch or more. From December 5th, 2002 through this past Sunday, 103" of flakes have accumulated in my backyard, with many more flurry and trace dusting events. Yet each occurrence is met with the same hysteria and overreaction as the last one. Part of me would like to see us handle these nuisances with greater aplomb, but there is something strangely endearing and comforting about the fact that we can always count on the irrationality of Washingtonians when the 4-letter word is mentioned. So far this season DCA, BWI, and IAD have 7.6", 9.4", and 11.4" respectively, or about 50% of our 30 yr. averages.
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