Weather Quiz

 

True or False.

February 2022 will finish as D.C.’s seventh consecutive February with below average snowfall.

How Does the 2021-2022 Winter Compare to Average ?

 

January 2022 was a snowy month in the D.C. Metro Area

There has been something for everyone in the Nation’s Capital during the 2021-2022 winter season.  There have been major swings between warmer and drier than average conditions in December to colder and snowier than average in January.  Meteorological winter runs from December 1 through February 28.

This February is well-positioned to finish warmer and wetter than average.  Average monthly temperatures (combining daily high and low temperatures) are 1.8° above average through February 20.  Temperatures are expected to remain above average for much of this week, so that trend will continue.  Although the month has been dry with only 1.69” of rain, there are several rain chances during the upcoming week that should all but guarantee it will finish wetter than average.  According to NOAA, D.C.’s February average of 2.62” of rain, makes it the driest month of the year on average. 

January 2022 was D.C.’s coldest since 2014, with an average monthly temperature of 34.6° (nearly 3° below average).  It was also D.C.’s snowiest month since January 2016, with 12.3” of snow.  The largest winter storm last month occurred on January 3 with 6.9”.  Ironically, more snow fell last month than D.C.’s combined total for the previous two winters (2019-2020 and 2020-2021) that added up to only 6.0”.

December 2021 finished as D.C.’s second warmest on record with an average temperature of 47.6° (5.9° above average).  D.C.’s net swing in temperature of 8.8° between December 2021 and January 2022 made January’s cold feel particularly severe.  This past December was a mild month in the Nation’s Capital with 23 days that were warmer than average.  In fact, 12 of these days were at least 10° milder than average, including two days when high temperatures reached 70°.

December 2021 was also a dry month in the Nation’s Capital with only 0.63” of rain, compared to D.C.’s December average of 3.41”.  No snow was observed in Washington, D.C. during the entire month of December 2021.  That made it the eighth December in the last 10 years that finished with below average snowfall (1.7”) in the Nation’s Capital. 

Since December 2021 and February 2022 were both significantly warmer than average, that will offset how cold January 2022 was.  The 2021-2022 winter, as a whole, will be warmer than average.  Also, this winter will finish with slightly below average snowfall.  The seasonal total is poised to finish with 12.3”, making it less than the seasonal snowfall average of 13.7” in Washington, D.C.

Threat of Severe Weather in February

 

Severe weather is less common in the United States during the colder winter months than it is during the rest of the year.  However, it’s slightly more common during February as compared to December or January.  “Severe weather” is defined as a thunderstorm that contains any of the following: hail 1”/+ in diameter; wind gusts of 58/+ mph; or a tornado.  Severe thunderstorms can sometimes contain more than one of these criteria.

When severe weather does occur in February, it can most often be found on or near the Gulf Coast.  That’s because weather conditions there are often more favorable for it than other parts of the country.  Nevertheless, some February outbreaks have occurred in other parts of the United States that made them unusual.

2020:  An exceedingly rare February tornado outbreak occurred on February 7 in the D.C. Metro Area.  A total of six tornadoes touched down in Maryland and Virginia between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.  Four of the six tornadoes were ranked as EF-1’s with winds between 86 mph and 110 mph.  Although some tree and structural damage was reported, it was fortunate that no injuries or fatalities occurred.  Tornado intensity is measured on the Enhanced Fujita Scale that ranges from EF-0 to EF-5.

2017:  Prior to 2020, the last time there was a February tornado in the D.C. Metro Area was on February 25, 2017.  That’s when an EF-1 developed in Charles County, Maryland, that had maximum wind speeds of 90 mph and a track of more than eight miles.   

2016:  A larger tornado outbreak with 33 confirmed tornadoes from Florida to Pennsylvania occurred on February 24, 2016.  Three deaths were reported from one of the tornadoes that touched down in Sussex County, Virginia.  Only one tornado occurred in the D.C. Metro Area during this outbreak with an EF-0 in St. Mary’s County, Maryland.

2011:  A relatively large severe weather outbreak occurred on February 28 from Missouri to Pennsylvania.  A total of 18 confirmed tornadoes developed, with one fatality in Tennessee.  This outbreak occurred shortly before two tornadoes developed in the D.C. Metro Area on March 10, 2011.  One was an EF-1 in Fauquier County, Virginia, and the other was an EF-0 in Fairfax County, Virginia.

1998:  Another significant outbreak occurred in central Florida on February 22 – 23.  NOAA reported that the 42 lives lost in this disaster made it one of Florida’s deadliest. What made this outbreak so deadly was its timing since the tornadoes occurred between 10:55 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. when most people were asleep.  This underscores the need to get weather alerts on your phone or to have a NOAA weather radio which provides the latest weather watches and warnings for your area 24/7.