Winter’s Last Stand ?

3" of snow today in Bethesda, MD

A significant winter storm is impacting the DC Metro Area today.  Ironically, a year ago Washingtonians were enjoying record warmth with highs of 78° and 82° on February 20-21, 2018.  Meanwhile, four years have passed since DC residents experienced the first February record low temperature since 1970 when the temperature plummeted to 5° at National Airport.

I recently wrote about how six of DC’s 10 largest snowstorms have occurred during the month of February.  But none were on or after February 20.  The latest a top 10 snowfall has occurred in Washington, D.C. was during the February 18-19, 1979 storm.  That was DC’s third largest snow event with an official total 18.7” and higher amounts in areas west and north of town.  Washington, D.C. hasn’t even had a February snowfall of at least 5” since February 13, 2014 (5.9”).

Although no top 10 snowfalls have occurred in DC between February 20 and March 31, there have been significant winter storms during that time.  March has actually been the snowiest month of the year in four of the last six years in Washington, D.C.  For example, with 12.7” of snow, March 2014 was DC’s snowiest March since 1960!  March 2014 was also the snowiest on record at Dulles Airport in Sterling, VA (19.8”).  More snow has actually occurred in the Nation’s Capital in March than in February since 2011, with an average of 3.27” in March vs. 3.15” in February.

What late February and March are especially noteworthy for in the Mid-Atlantic Region are large swings in temperature.  It’s not uncommon for temperatures to be in the 60s and 70s one day and for accumulating snow to occur in as little as 48 hours before or after such spring-like warmth.  DC residents had a stellar high temperature of 70° on Saturday, March 15, 2014.  However, within 36 hours, DC residents were experiencing the fifth largest snowstorm to occur in the second half of March.  A combined 7.2” of snow occurred in Washington, D.C. on March 16-17, 2014.  To add to that, DC’s high temperature on March 17, 2014 was only 32° (less than half what it was just two days earlier)!

More recently, a record high temperature of 82° occurred on February 21, 2018, while just two days later the high temperature in the Nation’s Capital was a colder than average 48°.  That should put into perspective that while today’s winter weather has made travel treacherous, the fact is that it won’t stick around long is not unusual this time of year.  While temperatures will languish in the 30s today, high temperatures will reach the 50s tomorrow in the Nation’s Capital.