National Weatherperson’s Day

February 5-6, 2010 DC Area Snow Totals  (Source: NOAA-NWS)

With February, the third and final month of meteorological winter underway, it’s a good time to see how this season compares to average so far in Washington, D.C.  While December and January were both slightly colder than average, each was considerably drier than average in Washington, D.C.  January 2018 was DC’s fourth driest January on record that helped severe drought conditions envelop the DC-Baltimore corridor.

The most recent Drought Monitor Index shows severe drought conditions exist from DC-Baltimore, with moderate drought conditions over a much larger portion of the Mid-Atlantic Region.  Fortunately for the Mid-Atlantic Region, these drought conditions have arrived outside the growing season so there is less of an impact than they would otherwise have.  Fortunately, yesterday’s 1.12” of rain at National Airport made for DC’s rainiest day since August 7, 2017 (1.47”).  There are several more prospects for rain in the DC Metro Area over the next week.

There has been a discernable lack of snow in the DC Metro Area over the last two winters.  Only 3.4” of snow occurred during the entire 2016-2017 winter season with just 3.1” so far this winter.  That’s compared to the seasonal average of 15.4” of snow in Washington, D.C.  Washingtonians haven’t seen a snowfall of 5” or more since the record-setting January 2016 snowstorm.  This lack of snow has contributed to the ongoing drought conditions in the Nation’s Capital.  

All hope isn’t lost for appreciable snowfall this winter.  Today is actually the 8^th anniversary of one of DC’s largest snowstorms on record.  Longtime Washingtonians will recall that on February 5-6, 2010, “Snowmageddon” dominated local weather headlines.  The January 2016 winter storm tied “Snowmageddon” for being the fourth largest snowstorm on record with 17.8” of snow at National Airport.  Meanwhile, considerably more fell west and north of the Nation’s Capital during both storms.  A key difference between the two storms is that widespread power outages occurred during “Snowmageddon” while very few occurred during the January 2016 event.

February 5 is also “National Weatherperson’s Day” so it would be a good idea to think of your favorite meteorologists.  Meteorologists work tirelessly to both inform and educate the public on the latest weather forecasts and climate news.  In many cases, the only access people have to a scientist is when they hear the weather report on their local news.  Although social media and smartphones make access to weather information considerably easier, it’s important to rely only on reputable sources for your weather forecasts such as my colleagues and I on the WUSA9 weather team.