D.C.'s Hard Pivot Towards Winter

 

High temperatures in the Nation’s Capital reached 60° or higher an astounding 12 times between December 2, 2021 and January 2, 2022.  That includes two days in the 70s last month for the first instance of 70° December warmth in Washington, D.C. since 2015.  Given this recent warmth, it isn’t surprising that December 2021 finished as D.C.’s second warmest on record behind only 2015.

However, there has been a major shift in the weather pattern in the week since D.C.’s last day of spring-like warmth.  Washingtonians have experienced not one but two rounds of snow in the past week for a combined total of 9.5”.  That’s roughly double D.C.’s January snowfall average of 4.9”.  It’s also the largest monthly total since January 2019, the last time the Nation’s Capital had a snowier than average month.  The 9.5” is also more snow than occurred in the last two winters combined (6.0” in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021).

Along with the snowfall has been much colder weather.  Although no record cold has occurred, the colder temperatures felt particularly sharp considering how warm it had been and how quickly the weather changed.  Temperatures dropped over 30° in less than 24 hours from a high of 63° at 5:06 p.m. on Sunday, January 2 to a low of 28° at 2:19 p.m. on Monday, January 3.

My colleagues and I on the WUSA9 Weather Team are forecasting a high temperature of only 27° on Tuesday, January 11.  High temperatures in the 20s haven’t happened in the Nation’s Capital since February 1, 2019 (24°).  By comparison, the coldest high temperature during all of last winter was 31° on February 13, 2021. 

There’s another cold weather benchmark Washingtonians are poised to experience this week.  Washington, D.C. hasn’t had a temperature below 22° in nearly three years.  The last time the Nation’s Capital fell below 22° was on February 2, 2019 (18°).  Low temperatures are expected to be in the teens and low 20s on both Monday night and Tuesday night across the D.C. Metro Area.

These below average temperatures are occurring at what is generally the coldest time of the year in the Nation’s Capital.  Temperatures are expected to moderate later this week according to NOAA’s temperature outlook for January 14 – 18 that calls for near normal temperatures in the D.C. Metro Area.  Average temperatures will feel almost balmy compared to the frigid weather anticipated on Tuesday.