Snow for Presidents Day Weekend?

President's Day does sometimes bring significant snowfall

Washingtonians have endured many significant outbreaks of arctic air, along with a few historic snowstorms, over the Presidents Day weekend.  There is some snow in the forecast this President’s Day weekend.  Although nothing like the Presidents Day snowstorm of 2003, snow is expected on Monday.  However, the weather pattern will be much different for this storm than it was during epic Presidents Day snowstorms of years past or during last month’s “Blizzard of 2016.” 

Five of the 10 largest snowstorms on record in the Nation’s Capital have either occurred on or within a week of Presidents Day.  As recently as 2003, Washingtonians experienced their 8^th largest snowstorm on Presidents Day when 16.4” of snow fell.  

According to the National Weather Service, Washington, D.C. averages over seven days with low temperatures in the teens every year since 1993.  Meanwhile, over the same period of time, the more rural Dulles Airport in Sterling, Virginia has averaged more than three days with low temperatures in the single digits and almost 16 days with lows in the teens.  Dulles Airport has had below zero temperatures during each of the last two winters, but it hasn’t been below zero at National Airport since January 1994. 

That helps illustrate the significant “urban heat island effect” that exists between downtown Washington, D.C. and the surrounding suburbs.  Consequently, the largest snowstorms often bring the colder suburbs north and west of town more snow than the immediate DC Metro Region.  Such was the case a few weeks ago on January 22-24 when “only” 17.8” of snow was measured at National Airport, while more than 29” fell at Dulles Airport and in Baltimore.

For the last three years, February has been colder than average in the Nation’s Capital.  In fact, the last two winters have combined to have the highest number of days with temperatures in the single digits and teens in the Nation’s Capital since the 2003 – 2005 winters.  High temperatures this weekend will not only remain in the 20s, but low temperatures tonight could approach record territory in some eastern cities. 

This weekend’s frigid temperatures will not remain in place throughout the duration of the precipitation on Monday and Tuesday so it’s vital that you rely on your favorite meteorologists – such as my colleagues and I on the WUSA9 weather team – for the latest updates to the forecast.