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| "Blizzard of 2016" brings snow to DC (Source: NWS-LWX) |
As January comes to a
close, it’s a good time to reflect upon what kind of weather this month has
featured. January 2016 finished both colder
than average (1.1 degrees below average) and snowier than average with 18.8" measured at National Airport. Since 2009, six of the last eight January’s
have been colder than average in Washington, D.C.
Although the warmest temperature this month was 62 degrees on January 10, three other days featured high temperatures that held in the 20s. The high and low temperatures of 28 and 15 degrees, respectively, on January 19 not only made it the coldest day of the month, but the coldest day in Washington, D.C. since last February. What helped differentiate January 2016 was the arrival of one of the largest winter storms on record.
Although the warmest temperature this month was 62 degrees on January 10, three other days featured high temperatures that held in the 20s. The high and low temperatures of 28 and 15 degrees, respectively, on January 19 not only made it the coldest day of the month, but the coldest day in Washington, D.C. since last February. What helped differentiate January 2016 was the arrival of one of the largest winter storms on record.
From January 22-23,
Washingtonians experienced their 4th largest snowfall on record with
17.8” officially falling at National Airport (that tied “Snowmageddon” from
February 2010). This month’s storm
became known as the “Blizzard of 2016.”
Significantly higher amounts were measured in the nearby suburbs, with
totals of 2 to 3 feet common west and north of the Nation’s Capital. NOAA ranked this winter storm as a category 4
on their “Northeast Snow Impact” (NESIS) scale.
This “crippling” storm also ranked as the fourth most intense winter
storm to affect the northeastern United States since 1950. Aside from the record snowfall
that fell in Baltimore, New York City and Harrisburg, PA, what made this storm
so memorable was the significant amount of advance notice people received.
There is typically a high degree of variability in weather forecasts. That’s why the relatively early juncture at which nearly all the computer models began to hint at the “Blizzard of 2016” was unusual and got the attention of meteorologists. Some of the models began to forecast a major east coast storm a week in advance. Such advance notice – and consistency in the model runs from day to day – allowed meteorologists to fine tune their forecasts as the storm took shape. In turn, that allowed meteorologists to provide area residents with sufficient notice to make adequate storm preparations.
There is typically a high degree of variability in weather forecasts. That’s why the relatively early juncture at which nearly all the computer models began to hint at the “Blizzard of 2016” was unusual and got the attention of meteorologists. Some of the models began to forecast a major east coast storm a week in advance. Such advance notice – and consistency in the model runs from day to day – allowed meteorologists to fine tune their forecasts as the storm took shape. In turn, that allowed meteorologists to provide area residents with sufficient notice to make adequate storm preparations.
January 2016 received a total of 18.8” of snow in Washington, D.C. – more than triple the monthly average of 5.6”. That makes this the snowiest January in the Nation’s Capital since 1996 when 23.8” of snow occurred – the snowiest January on record at National Airport. Although February will get off to a mild start in the Nation’s Capital, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center expects more dramatic swings in temperature with periods of both above and below average temperatures during the next few weeks.
