What’s Special About this Winter ?

 

Great Falls, Maryland

This January and February each rank among the warmest on record in the Nation’s Capital.  Had it not been for a colder than average December, the 2022-2023 winter season as a whole would have ranked among the warmest in Washington, D.C.  Also, this winter will finish with below average snowfall for the sixth time in the last seven years.  Meteorological winter runs from December 1 through February 28.

February will finish as D.C.’s second or third warmest on record, depending on final temperatures today and tomorrow.  Unusual February warmth has become a pattern in recent years and February 2017 and February 2018 are, currently, D.C.’s warmest and third warmest.  Not only did record high temperatures in the 80s occur on February 23, but temperatures were only below average on five days so far this month.  To add to that, the only measurable snowfall of the entire winter was before dawn on February 1 (0.4”) and it melted the same day.

Last month was the warmest January in the Nation’s Capital since 1950.  January began with five consecutive days of high temperatures in the 60s.  Prior to this year, no year began with more than three consecutive days in the 60s.  That set a benchmark for the rest of January, which had only one colder than average day.  January finished as D.C.’s first since 2006 with only a trace of snowfall (too little to measure).

December 2022 was a colder than average month in the Nation’s Capital for the second time in the last three years.  While it was the coldest December since 2017, no measurable snowfall occurred.  D.C.’s signature weather event during the entire month was an intense cold wave. 

Temperatures plummeted from a high of 55° on December 23 to a low later that day of 12° following the passage of an arctic cold front.  Christmas Eve was frigid in the Nation’s Capital with a high/low of only 22°/9°.  High temperatures warmed somewhat to the low 30s on December 25 and December 26.  The three-day period of December 24-26 finished with a daily temperature nearly 18° below average each day.

As a whole, the 2022-2023 winter season has been considerably warmer than average with below average snowfall.  While the Nation’s Capital averages 13.7” of annual snowfall, this winter will finish with only 7% of that amount.

Warmest February’s in the Nation’s Capital (Source: National Weather Service)

1.  47.7° (2017)
2.  46.9° (1976)
3.  45.3° (2018)
4.  45.2° (1990)
5.  44.7° (1997)
6.  44.4° (2012)
7.  43.8° (2020, 1984, 1949)
10.  43.7° (1981)

Record February Warmth

 

Yesterday finished as one of the warmest February days on record in the D.C. Metro Area.  It was only the fourth February day that Washington, D.C. was in the 80s since weather records began in 1871.  It was also the second earliest in the calendar year that the Nation’s Capital experienced 80° warmth.  Thursday’s high of 81° isn’t D.C.’s “average” high temperature until June 1, according to NOAA.

These are the record high temperatures that were set on Thursday, February 23:

Washington, D.C. (Reagan National Airport): 81° (old record: 77° - 1874)
Dulles Airport: 80° (old record: 77° - 2017)
Baltimore, MD (BWI Airport): 79° (old record: 78° - 1874)

Yesterday’s high of 81° was also the third highest February temperature on record.  Here is the full list.

84° - February 25, 1930
82° - February 21, 2018;
         February 28, 1948
79° - February 17, 1976
78° - February 20, 2018;
         February 23, 1874;
         February 24, 1985

Through today, D.C.’s average monthly temperature (combining daily high and low temperatures) is 46.8° (7.2° above average), while at Dulles Airport it’s 44.5° (+8.7°).  Those averages will come down a little before the end of the month with considerably cooler temperatures expected over the next few days.  However, February 2023 will still finish as one of the warmest on record in the Nation’s Capital.

DC’s Warmest February’s (Source: National Weather Service)

1.  47.7° (2017)
2.  46.9° (1976)
3.  45.3° (2018)
4.  45.2° (1990)
5.  44.7° (1997)
6.  44.4° (2012)
7.  43.8° (2020, 1984, 1949)
10.  43.7° (1981)

 

Warmest February’s at Dulles Airport (Source: National Weather Service)

1.  44.8° (2017)
2.  42.4° (2018)
3.  42.2° (1990)
4.  41.4° (2020)
5.  41.1° (1976)

How Does February's Warmth Rank Historically ?

 

February has been an unusually warm month in the Nation’s Capital.  High temperatures have already reached the 60s nine times this month.  Near record warmth will occur today with May-like high temperatures near 80°.  Check out this story I wrote for the WUSA9 website for more details.