Could March be Approaching Rare Territory ?

NOAA's Temperature Outlook for the Final Week of March

The 2017-2018 winter season has brought some memorable bouts of cold weather in the DC Metro Area.  Temperatures in the Nation’s Capital remained at or below freezing on nine out of 11 days from December 27, 2017 through January 7, 2018.  That included DC’s coldest December day since 1989, when high/low temperatures were only 23°/16° on December 31, 2017.

Despite the long period of significantly colder than average weather, December and January were much drier than average.  Moderate drought conditions enveloped much of the DC Metro Area by the start of February, which, fortunately, turned out to be DC’s wettest February since 2003.  It was also a very mild month and finished as the third warmest on record in the Nation’s Capital.  Washingtonians experienced their earliest 80° day ever when the high temperature reached 82° on February 21. 

Over the first half of this March, Washingtonians experienced conditions more like the cold and dry months of December 2017 and January 2018.  Washington, D.C. has been 2.6° colder than average with only 0.44” of rain through March 17.  March’s warmest temperature came on March 1 with a high of 59°.  Not since 1962 has there been a March in the Nation’s Capital without any 60° temperatures.  By comparison, January and February 2018 had a combined total of 16 days when high temperatures reached at least 60°.  NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center expects the colder than average weather to continue into early April for the Mid-Atlantic Region.

This month’s chilly weather has delayed the anticipated peak bloom of DC’s famous cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin to March 27 – 31.  That’s a significant difference since the National Park Service originally expected peak bloom to occur from March 17 – 20, following the very warm February.  If March 2018 finishes with below average temperatures in Washington, D.C., it would be the first time since 1890-1891 that February has been warmer than March in consecutive years.

The Nation’s Capital has already had 0.4” of snow this month, making March 2018 the sixth consecutive March with measurable snowfall.  However, the timing and track of an expected coastal storm is making for a very interesting weather forecast for the upcoming week.  That’s why it’s important to pay attention to your local meteorologists such as my colleagues and I on the WUSA9 Weather Team for the latest updates.