Veteran's Day Weather Extremes

Residents of the Mid-Atlantic know early to mid-November is when they can typically expect to see the first blast of cold, arctic air of the season.  That is right on track this fall after a milder than average September and October in the Nation’s Capital.  Today will be milder than average too with temperatures in the mid to upper 60s in spots, but that wasn’t the case on Veteran’s Day in 1987. 

Although the average high for November 11 is 60 degrees in the Nation’s Capital, Veteran’s Day in 1987 featured record low high temperatures in the mid-30s at all three of the region’s airports.  That coincided with one of the largest November snowstorms on record for the Mid-Atlantic Region.  On November 11, 1987, a record 11.5” of snow fell at National Airport which made November 1987 the snowiest on record in the Nation’s Capital.  Meanwhile, Dulles and BWI Airports both set daily snowfall records with lesser amounts (5.3” and 6.0” respectively), making November 1987 their second snowiest on record. 

Fortunately, the weather this Veteran’s Day will be much more conducive for tonight’s “Concert For Valor” on the National Mall with dry weather and mild temperatures.  However, as many of you are probably aware, this fall’s first major outbreak of cold air is getting ready to overspread the Mid-Atlantic Region.  In fact, tomorrow will be a day of transition before dramatically colder weather arrives Thursday and Friday.  Some have referred to this impending cold weather outbreak as the “polar vortex,” a term that was popularized last winter. 

However, the “polar vortex” is a regular weather feature around the North Pole and is definitely not a new thing.  In fact, according to the American Meteorological Society, “the polar vortex is strongest during the winter… when the pole-to-equator temperature gradient is the strongest.”  It became part of the common weather vernacular during last winter – which was colder than average across much of the country.  This week’s cold weather outbreak is just the result of a shift in the jet stream – the river of air that guides the weather – that will usher in the first wave of significantly colder than average weather in most of the country. 

It isn’t uncommon to occasionally see wintry weather in early to mid-November.  For instance, the Nation’s Capital experienced its largest November snowstorm on record on this date 27 years ago.