Dangerous Cold Envelops Washington, D.C.

Glen Echo, MD   February 2015

Tonight and tomorrow are setting up to feature the coldest weather in more than two decades across the Mid-Atlantic Region.

More specifically, on January 19, 1994, the temperature fell to a bone chilling -4 degrees with a high of only 8 degrees in Washington, D.C.  Suburbs were even colder such as at Dulles Airport in nearby Virginia that saw a record low of -6 degrees.  Washington, D.C. hasn’t been below 0 since then and that was also the last time there was a high temperature in the single digits.  The Nation’s Capital hasn’t seen a temperature below 5 degrees since it was 3 degrees on January 21, 1994.

Tonight’s temperatures are expected to fall to the single digits downtown while many areas in the suburbs will likely fall below 0 as the coldest blast of arctic air of the winter reaches the DC Metro Region.  This extreme cold has been caused by a pronounced dip in the northern branch of the jet stream (a river of air in the upper atmosphere that steers weather in our part of the world) that’s ushered in an arctic area of high pressure.

As cold as this week has been (with a number of record lows already set in Baltimore and at Dulles Airport) Washington, D.C., hasn’t set any records yet but that’s likely to change.  Here are the local records that are in jeopardy tomorrow (February 20).  Once we know which of these records have been tied or broken, I will write a follow up column.

National Airport (Washington, D.C.’s official weather observing site):

Record Low: 8 (1896)
Record Low High Temperature: 18 (1896)


Baltimore, MD (measured at BWI Airport):

Record Low:  4 (1979)
Record Low High Temperature: 18 (1896)


Dulles Airport (in nearby Sterling, VA):

Record Low: -2 (1979)
Record Low High Temperature:  26 (1972)