The DC Area's underwhelming snowfall trends

 

A January 2019 snow day in Bethesda, Maryland

Despite last week's two winter storms, the nation's capital now has only its fifth snowier than average month in the eight years since the record setting "Blizzard of 2016." It's important to distinguish how a snowier than average month doesn’t always mean there will be a snowier than average winter season as a whole. Here's a closer look at those past snowier than average months.

January 2024: The nation's capital ended its snowfall drought without an inch of snow on January 15. That's when 3.4" of snow fell as part of a two-day total of 4.1" at National Airport. Prior to this storm, the last inch of snow Washingtonians experienced was on January 16, 2022 (2.6"). Winter weather enthusiasts got a second round of snow a few days later with another 3.7" on January 19. This month's total of 7.8" is above DC's January snowfall average of 4.9".

January 2022: A monthly total of 12.3" of snow occurred with accumulating snowfall on four days. The largest winter storm this month saw 6.9" of snow on January 3. Making this snowfall particularly impressive is that it occurred following 10 consecutive warmer than average days, including highs in the 60s on January 1 and January 2. This remains the last 5" or larger snowfall in the nation's capital. The 2021-2022 winter finished with 13.2", just below NOAA's annual snowfall average of 13.7" for the nation's capital.

January 2019: The signature winter storm of the entire 2018-2019 winter was a long-lived event with accumulating snowfall over three consecutive days. A total of 10.3" was recorded at National Airport from January 12 - 14. It was DC's largest winter storm since the "Blizzard of 2016" and remains the last 10"/+ snowfall in the nation's capital. Unlike the 2021-2022 winter that saw almost no snow except for January 2022; the 2018-2019 winter season finished with above average snowfall (16.9").

November 2018: Accumulating November snowfall is a rarity in the nation's capital with only three such occurrences over the last 30 years. Two were in the 1990s, with the most recent having been a daily snowfall record of 1.4" on November 15, 2018. Another 0.3" of snow occurred in March 2019, making the 2018-2019 winter DC's first with accumulating snowfall in both November and March since 1995-1996.

March 2018: The largest snowfall of the 2017-2018 winter season, that featured below average snowfall, didn't occur in the nation's capital until March 21.  That's when 4.1" of wet snow fell at National Airport.  Although not a record snow total for the date, record snowfall did occur on this date at Dulles Airport (4.8").