Searching for Snow

A Memorable DC Snowstorm  (Source: WUSA9)

Today is the 20th anniversary of one of DC's more memorable January snow events.  Back then models didn't begin to get a better solution on the storm track until less than 24 hours before the storm.  Originally expected to harmlessly track out to sea with light snow possible well south of DC, there was a discernable change Monday evening, January 24, 2000.  
 

January 2000 was an era without smart phones and social media, so prevalent today.  That meant if you went to bed before 11:00 PM when my colleagues on the WUSA9 Weather Team issued an updated forecast, you were surprised to wake up to an accumulating snowfall on Tuesday morning, January 25.  The DC Area school systems were closed and Washingtonians experienced the largest snowfall in the Nation's Capital since the January 1996 blizzard.  A swath of 9" to 15" was common across the immediate DC Metro Area, with higher totals towards the Chesapeake Bay and daily snowfall records at the three local airports during this event.

National Airport - 9.3"
Dulles Airport, Sterling, Virginia - 10.3"
BWI Airport, Baltimore, Maryland - 14.9"

2004: January 2004 was DC's coldest since 1994 and seventh coldest overall since National Airport opened in 1941.  High temperatures remained at or below freezing on 15 days that month, including 12 of the final 16 days.  Oddly enough, for all the cold air that occurred, the month finished with near average snowfall.  The most significant snow event was the 5.7" that fell January 25 - 27.

2005:  The second half of January 2005 was similar, with high temperatures below freezing on nine of the final 15 days of the month.  Like the year before, winter weather enthusiasts were disappointed since the "largest" snowfall occurred on January 22, 2005 with a meager 3". 

2010:  The next significant January snowfall wouldn't occur for another five years until 6.4" fell at National Airport on January 30, 2010.  DC's high and low temperatures on that date were 23°/18°, which ensured it would remain a pure snow event.

2011:  Longtime DC residents may remember that January 26, 2011 for the heavy, wet 5” of snow that fell with temperatures in the low to mid 30s and snarled evening traffic.  It took many commuters several hours to get home that evening in what was dubbed “Carmageddon.” 

2016:  More recently was the record January 2016 blizzard where 17.8” accumulated at National Airport.  However, totals of 2’ to 3’ were common in DC’s northern and western suburbs. 

2019:  DC’s largest snowfall of last winter occurred from January 12 – 14, with a storm total of 10.3” at National Airport.  What helped make the January 2019 storm memorable is that accumulating snowfall occurred on three consecutive days, which is relatively rare.

Although NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center expects February to get off to a warmer than average start in the DC Metro Area, next month as a whole is expected to feature near to slightly colder than average temperatures.  That means DC Area winter weather enthusiasts shouldn’t give up hope on the 2019-2020 winter season.