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Risk of Snow Showers tomorrow, cold for Friday
2008-01-24 01:12:00
Current Weather:Temperatures currently in the lower 40s should drop into the mid 20s overnight under mainly clear skies and light winds in and around the Beltway. Farther to the north and west, temperatures are presently in the mid to upper 30s, and should fall into the upper teens overnight.Forecasts For the Next Few Days:Thursday:By 8 or 9 AM tomorrow, clouds should begin streaming in from the west, as energy associated with a tiny pocket of mid and upper level energy slides east from the Midwest. High temperatures tomorrow will hover in the lower to mid 30s in and around DC, which will support a few snow showers, which may develop during the late morning and into the late afternoon hours. Some minor snow accumulation is possible on grassy and elevated surfaces, but most roadways should remain snow-free due to above-freezing road temperatures.Probability of Snow : 40%Image at right: NAM forecast precipitation for Thursday afternoon showing the possibility of some light snow show...
More About: Cold , Friday , Risk , Tomorrow

Nuisance Snow storm tomorrow
2008-01-17 00:06:00
Current Conditions:Temperatures are currently hovering in the mid to upper 30s across most of the region, with Reagan National as the warm spot at 41 degrees last hour. Temperatures are expected to fall into the low to mid 20s overnight as clouds thicken from the south and west, as a large developing surface low moves northeastward.The snowfall forecast for tomorrow is a tricky one, since surface temperatures, once again, will be very marginal for accumulations.Winter Storm Breakdown:Snow should begin to fall by 12PM or so in the District, earlier to the southwest, and later to the north and east. The surface temperature profile will be critical to this forecast. At this point, our best estimate is that the snow will change to sleet and then rain by 4-6PM as warm air filters in from the east.By the time the precipitation change-over occurs, however, there is the potential for a Trace to 2 inches of snow in and around the District, and 1-3 inches out to the north and west of town,...
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Colder weather in the future
2008-01-14 21:34:00
Current Conditions:Temperatures around the region are currently hovering near 40 degrees, but a weak surface trough has just cleared the area, which should usher in slightly colder temperatures for tonight.Washington, D.C. reported 0.03" of rain with the storm system last night, and BWI only picked up about 0.07" from a thin line of showers. Many areas to the north, were anticipating snowfall totals at or above 12", but most locations only received (generally) between 3 and 6 inches. Numerical computer models failed to accurately predict the dynamics of this coastal low, which lead to significant forecast busts across the Northeast.Tonight and Tomorrow:The sun is breaking out in many locations as a large winter storm, currently hammering upstate Maine with heavy snow, slowly pulls away to the northeast (see image above).Skies will continue to clear, gradually overnight. Temperatures will fall into the mid to upper 20s around town, and near 20 farther to the north and west.Expect p...
More About: Weather , Future , The Future

Coastal Storm Possible on Monday?
2008-01-10 22:49:00
Where's the Storm Now?The feature we expect to develop into a coastal storm is currently a highly disorganized area of cloudiness associated with impulses of upper air energy over the northeastern Atlantic Ocean (see image at right). These little "packets" of energy are expected to slide southeastward, following the jet stream, and then combine--or phase--to produce a surface low pressure system in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico sometime Saturday night.This much of the forecast is pretty much a 100% certainty at this point. What happens next, however, is difficult to assess with great confidence right now, as there are too many different things that have to click just right to produce a significant winter storm for our region.What the models are saying:Global Forecast System (GFS): We use this model the most to diagnose weather patterns over the United States. It has a decent track record (over the past several years), but has not been performing too well this winter. The past...
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Funky DC weather
2007-12-12 23:24:00
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 3AM to Noon for areas north and west of the District including Montgomery, Loudon and Howard Counties. The National Weather Service anticipates icy conditions tomorrow morning.Icy situation tomorrow morning:Models over the past few days have trended cooler with a developing low pressure system in the southern United States. Temperatures are expected to cool into the low to mid 30s north and west of the District. As the upper levels warm above freezing, sleet and freezing rain are slated to develop around the aforementioned areas sometime tomorrow morning.I don't really see this storm being much of a wintry event for the immediate metro regions, but northern sections of Montgomery and Loudon counties and points north and west could be in for a slippery ride tomorrow. Anywhere from a trace to one tenth of an inch of ice accumulation is expected before everything turns over the rain by midday.After this storm exits the region tomorrow ev...
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Soggy, wet pattern setting up this week
2007-12-10 01:21:00
Current Weather:Presently, a developing area of low pressure around the Ohio River valley is pushing rain showers into northern Maryland from west to east.The current thinking is that rain showers will stay generally north of Washington until tomorrow around noon as bands of light precipitation move southward as a small cell of high pressure pushes in from the northwest. Even with the high pressure in place for Tuesday, skies are expected to remain generally cloudy with high temperatures climbing into the upper 50s to near 60.While our temperatures remain warm enough for a pure rain event, folks up in New York and northern Pennsylvania are in for a significant icing event. Freezing rain is expected to coat the region in over a quarter inch of ice.Forecast through the rest of the week:Another developing low during the middle of the week is expected to bring the area yet another shot at some light rainfall. Our chances for rain will slowly increase through the day on Wednesday as a...
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Midweek Clipper and DC area's first snowfall
2007-12-03 23:36:00
The low that passed a strong cold front through the area yesterday is currently deepening off the coast of Maine, where up to two feet of snow is expected by tomorrow morning. The tight pressure gradient behind this storm is driving cold northwesterly winds down from Canada. Cold air continues to filter into the region, and temperatures tomorrow will struggle to get into the low 40s. Winds will also turn gusty in the afternoon with 30-40 mph gusts likely in most locations.This new pool of cold air will set the stage for the Washington metro areas first snowfall of the winter season:By late tomorrow night, a piece of energy from a strong Pacific Northwest storm system will have been ejected southeastward into the Midwest (image at right). Clear, to partly cloudy skies Tuesday night will allow much of the daytime heating to radiate out, allowing temperatures to drop into the mid to upper 20s.At this point, timing the onset of precipitation is very difficult due to a dry surface (o...

DCweather's Winter Outlook
2007-11-29 01:50:00
Precipitation Forecast:Over the years, the ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) Index has been used, to great effect, to predict long term inter-seasonal variability in temperature anomalies across the United States. Generally, La Niña occurs when Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies from an area bounded from 5°N-5°S 120°W-170°W (also known as Niño 3.4) drop to less than 0.5 degrees Celsius.Boxed areas represent the so-called Niño regions. Niño 3.4 is generally used in most long-term forecasts. Image courtesy of the Climate Prediction CenterAt the end of the August-September-October time period, Niño 3.4 was at -0.8 and falling, meaning average SST anomalies for that region were 0.8 degrees Celsius below normal. Model forecast for the ENSO index indicate that SSTs should continue to fall through the remainder of the year and into next January. The NCEP CFS model, in particular, drops the ENSO index down below -2, which would approach some of the lowest monthly values every recorded...
More About: Winter , Outlook

Running Clipper Happy
2007-11-08 22:59:00
If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it is that computer models do not ever do a good job with clipper systems. In fact, you'll see in my previous entry which came last weekend I talked about how a clipper could give us some snowflakes Friday night- Saturday if everything went as the GFS was showing on that day. But between Sunday and Wednesday, the clipper all but disappeared from the computer models.... until today.It now looks likely that a clipper will pass through the area just to our south and west. As it does so, it will spread precip into the entire area. The question is, what form will it come in? Unfortunatly, I don't really have an answer. Looking at the conditional probabilities on the NAM and GFS, it could go either way. If I were to had to put something on it, I don't think anyone south and east of DC will see anything in the way of snow, and snow in the district may be a stretch. I do think it is fairly possible that the immediate suburbs of...
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Welcome to winter next week!
2007-11-03 19:03:00
A strong cold front will cross the area Monday night and send us into a very winter-like pattern for the remainder of next week. Temps will fall during the day Tuesday, with highs in the low 50s and gusty winds. On Wednesday and Thursday, highs will struggle to get out of the 40s, with nighttime lows in the 20s to around 30 in the city. Things will get interesting on Friday:The GFS and EURO models have been hinting that two clippers, particularly the latter, may give us our first snow of the year. The first clipper is the weaker of the two, and and would perhaps give us a few flurries/drizzle on Wednesday night-Thursday. The bigger storm would be Friday night-Saturday.If this were January, I would say that this storm would have the potential for several inches of snow.... but its November. As such, it is possible that if everything were to go right that we get some snowflakes or a very chilly rain during the period in question. Lots can change between now and then, but the ...
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Severe Storms Friday...An end to the drought pattern?
2007-10-18 00:14:00
Hello Everyone... just an update on the status of the blog first off. We haven't really done any updates in a week or so because, well, there hasn't really been much to talk about. This is a blog where we take a look into upcoming weather events in the area that might actually change your day-to-day activities...---------------------------- --------------------Friday 's severe threat:A very rigorous storm system has developed over the plains today spawning multiple tornadoes and a number of severe thunderstorms across the area ahead of the dry line in Oklahoma. This storm system will deepen as it moves east over the next couple of days, and does pose the risk for a severe thunderstorm outbreak on Friday.NWS has gone with a 30% chance for Day 3, which is pretty high for storm outlooks beyond 48 hours.Computer models are suggesting that EHI values (a measure that can indicate how probable a thunderstorm is of dropping a tornado) will be on the high side (2-3 across the area). The...
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Storms lining up for Evening...
2007-09-27 23:07:00
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10:00 PM EST FOR THE 1-81 CORRIDOR WESTWARD.Discussion: A slow moving front will put an end to our unseasonable heat tonight, and as it does so, severe thunderstorms will be possible across the northern and western suburbs. The biggest risk for these storms is the heavy rainfall, which could exceed 1-3 inches/hour in heavier cells.We need all the rain we can get, and its quite possible that the immediate metro area sees a solid half inch of rainfall tonight as the storms move weaken as they push into the area. I am confident that most locales will see some rain with this system, although the true soaking rain will stay north and west of the immediate DC area.Projected times of the first drops:Winchester: 5:30Hagerstown: 6:00Frederick: 6:30 (although a pop-up storm did drop some rain earlier today...)Werenton: 7:30Fairfax: 9:00Rockville: 9:30Washington D.C.: 10:00Baltimore: 10:30Anapolis: 11:00Fredericksburg south: rain not likely.A li...
More About: Evening

Nice weather for Weekend...Watching Gulf of Mexico closely
2007-09-21 03:23:00
Nice weather is on tap for the weekend as a weak cold front approaches the area from the northwest. Winds wil shift to the southwest on Friday bringing in almost August-type heat and humidity. While we can't rule out a shower or thunderstorm on Saturday, skies will remain more or less clear for the weekend.A weak cold front will fizzle out on Saturday as it approaches the area. Expect a Summer-like weekend with temps in the mid 80s both days.----------------Watching Invest 93L:The National Hurricane Center investigated invest 93L in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida and found a well-defined low-level center and a pressure of 1006mb (what you would expect in a tropical depression). The only issue is that the system doesn't have very many tropical features at the moment, with little convection near the low-level center. None the less, conditions are becoming favorable for 93L to become a sub-tropical or tropical storm in the next day or two as it drifts westward. People in the ...
More About: Weather , Weekend , Gulf of Mexico

Storms lining up for this evening....
2007-09-10 22:04:00
Heavy rainfall associated with slow moving thunderstorms will be possible over the next several hours as a wave of low pressure moves up a nearly stationary front and spreads moisture over the extremely humid air mass in place (Gabriel left behind very high dew points when it departed).Although a widespread severe weather event is not anticipated, a couple of damaging wind reports are possible. The heavy rainfall, in some of the heavier cells though will be the main threat. Hopefully we can get some rain from this system...Radar does not look too impressive right now, but by this evening, heavy thunderstorms will blanket the area...
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Gabriel a close call...
2007-09-09 05:47:00
It took a little longer than expected, but the area of disturbed weather off the North Carolina Coast finally became tropical in nature this afternoon (at first, the NHS listed it as a subtropical storm....don't ask me what made it "tropical" by 5pm but "sub-tropical" at 2pm).At this point, Gabr iel is a weak tropical storm with winds sustained at 40mph (although I do think that may be underdone a bit). While the track of Gabby (below) indicates that nobody west of the Eastern Shore will be impacted by the storm, in recent hours, the tropical storm has wobbled a bit west which may in turn take the track a bit further west.This westward trend must be monitored, and I do still think that there is an outside chance that Gabby reached hurricane status before making landfall in Eastern Carolina. Unless something drastic happens however, it doesn't look like Gabby will be one for the memories.Gabriel looking better tonight...-------------------In other weather news, a slowly dropping...
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Soon-to-be Gabriel is something to watch...
2007-09-05 23:44:00
At 3:30pm Wednesday, new recon reports showed that the area of circulation southwest of Bermuda is very close to tropical depression status. Chances are high that by Thursday we will have tropical storm Gabr iel , and computer models are indicating that there is a chance that Gabriel will strenghten and move west towards the North Carolina Coast, potentially impacting the DC area by the end of this weekend with heavy rain and strong winds.Stay tuned...
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Perfect stretch of weather to continue... Felix, 98L developing...
2007-09-01 21:55:00
On the home front, a strong ridge of high pressure has moved into the area, and there is no indication that anything other than sunny skies and warm temperatures will persist well into the future. Temperatures will start to get up there to around 90 by Labor Day, and stay in the upper 80s through the week with no rain in the forecast.A perfect weekend followed by a perfect week of weatherOn to the tropics, where things are starting to heat up again:Felix : Hurricane Felix (winds sustained at 70mph on Saturday) will continue to move west-northwestward towards the southern Carribean. Most of the models keep the storm well south of the Gulf Coast and take the storm into the Yucatan Penninsula, however some models have begun to shift northward. Trends will need to monitored.98L: This system has strengthened significantly today, and should reach tropical depression status by tonight or tomorrow. It is far to early to tell, but 98L has a chance to be threat to the east coast by next ...
More About: Weather , Perfect , Develop , Conti

Rain on the Way for DC, Dean to ravage Jamaica
2007-08-18 22:25:00
Weather over the next several days:Clear skies dominate over the Mid Atlantic as a ridge of high pressure builds into the region from the northwest. Clouds will, however, begin to increase out of the southwest shortly as a developing storm system slides eastward from the Central Midwest.Temperatures: The increased cloud cover on Sunday should hold high temperatures in the low to mid 80s, which is at or slightly below average for this time of year.Precipitation: The chance for a few showers/thundershowers will slowly increase after 7 or 8 PM Sunday evening. It appears, however, that the majority of the rainfall from this system will stay north of the Mason-Dixon line until Monday night. A few numerical weather models depict the possibility of severe thunderstorms moving into the region Tuesday morning and early afternoon. Needless to say, from Monday through Wednesday, scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms will plague the region, but should significantly cut into the ar...
More About: Rain , Dean , Jamaica , Rava

Time to focus on Dean
2007-08-17 05:16:00
Hurricane Dean continued to strengthen Thursday and it appears now that the computer models are beginning to hone in on the future track of the powerful storm.Dean should cross the Windward Islands and Lesser Antilles Friday as a stong Category 2 storm, with winds between 100-110 mph. Some of the resort islands like Martinique may suffer substantial damage as the hurricane whips across the island chain.After the islands, Dean should continue on a west-west/northwest track to just south of Jamaica Sunday with sustained winds of 120 mph or more. Next in line will be the Yucatan peninsula on Tuesday, with the storm possibly making landfall as a category 4 storm near Cozumel, Mexico.After a short ride over the Yucatan, Dean should re-emerge in the Gulf of Mexico and continue re-organize itself before making a final landfall somewhere in the Gulf Coast, most likely Southern Texas.Personally, I am not convinced that the computer models are doing to well dealing with Dean's rapid speed ...
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Severe weather outbreak Thursday... still watching tropics
2007-08-16 06:01:00
Severe StormsA strong front will pass through the area late tonight and spark off some major thunderstorms. EHI values (a measure of the tornadic potential across the area) are expected to be tremendous this afternoon. I would expect a number of lines of thunderstorms with damaging winds, and a couple of isolated tornados this afternoon/evening. The deciding factor in whether or not we will see a major outbreak depends on how much sunlight we see during the day. Sunshine, of course leads to destabilization and enables thunderstorms to reach severe limits. Make sure to check watches/warnings as the day progresses.Notice the very high EHI values on the top-right map. Isolated tornados are possible this afternoon/evening.----------------------- --------------------Tropics:Erin: Tropical storm Erin will make landfall in southern Texas today with winds of 40-50 mph. The major damage out of Texas will be flooding however.Dean: Tropical Storm Dean is very close to reaching hurrican...
More About: Weather , Watching , Thursday , Brea

Dean, Flossie, TD 5; Its going to be a long week....
2007-08-15 04:44:00
As announced several days ago here on DCweather, all of the computer models were indicating that the tropics were going to explode this week. They did not lie. We currently have 3 tropical systems, 2 in the atlantic, and one in particular to watch.Flossie: Hurricane Flossie weakened Sunday as it moved over much cooler waters near Hawaii. None the less, Flossie is still a strong category 2 hurricane, and will give Hawaii a glancing blow of tropical storm force winds and several inches of rain Wednesday. I do think that the islands should get by without too much in the way of damage.Surfs up: Flossie will cause minimal damage as it travels just south of the Hawaiian Islands Wednesday. Meanwhile, surfers across the state are getting ready for some of the best waves of the year!TD 5: At 11:00pm Tuesday night, the NHC announced that the tropical wave in the Gulf of Mexico had gotten itself together well enough to be considered a tropical depression. While this is not good news f...
More About: Week , Long , Dean , Ossie , Ossi

Invest 90 L strengthening in Atlantic...
2007-08-13 08:12:00
The tropical wave, Invest 90 L is likely going to upgraded to tropical depression status Monday. The system has strengthened significantly late Sunday, and now has an easily identified center of circulation. This system is still more than a week away from being something to seriously worry about, but none the less, still certainly worth watching.Computer models suggest that Invest 90 L will strengthen as it heads due west over the next several days. After that--- who knows? The GFS has trended furthur south; to a landfall in southern Texas, but these models are wildly inaccurate for storms 10+ days away.Rain anybody?Some badly needed rain is in the forecast for later this week. Meanwhile, a couple of isolated storms are possible Monday, as a weak cold front approaches the area. Nothing severe is anticipated nor is any significant rainfall expected.Later this week, a more vigorous cold front will give us our first taste of the fall. More importantly however, it will enable a...
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A few storms for Friday, tropics to explode next week...
2007-08-10 19:21:00
Friday will feature a couple of storms across the area. It does not look like any of these storms will reach severe limits because of a left-over storm complex from last night that is currently just off the Mid-atlantic coast. This storm complex will rob the area of the energy necessary for thunderstorm development.Additionally, clouds have moved into the area in the last hour or so, and the spotty cloudcover will make it dificult for enough heating to go on for thunderstorms. That said, a couple of storms may reach severe limits this afternoon, so stay tuned.-----------Now, to move important things--- the computer models (particularly the GFS) have been consistantly showing a tremendous CAT 4-5 Hurricane moving up the East Coast late next week. Now, an important question must be asked: hype, or time to worry?Well obviously there is no definate answer, but at least last year, the GFS frequesntly showed hurricanes beyond 10 days into the future only to take them off in subsequent...
More About: Friday , Week , Explode

Major severe weather outbreak this afternoon/evening...
2007-08-09 17:28:00
11:30 UPDATE: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR FREDERICK, WASHINGTON, AND CARROL COUNTIES IN MARYLAND. There will be significant wind damage associated with this line of storms as they move across Northern Maryland in the next hour. 10:20 UPDATE: As soon as I finished writing the entry, a watch WAS issued for the area until 4pm. I will be doing updates as this dangerous line of storms moves into the area. These are the projected times of arrival:Hagerstown: 11:30amFrederick: 12:00Leesburg: 12:15pmRockville: 12:30pmSilver Spring: 1:00pmBethesda: 1:00pmWashington DC: 1:15pmThe NWS has extended the slight risk area for severe storms today to completely encompass the entire DC metro area. A moderate risk has also been discussed for parts of the area. Dangerous winds appear to be the biggest threat, however a tornado is not impossible.Discussion: A dangerous line of severe storms is progressing through southwestern PA this morning. As this line continues to move east and ...
More About: Weather , Afternoon , Major , Brea , Evening

Storms stay west tonight... Major storms on tap for tomorrow, Friday
2007-08-08 21:38:00
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT NORTH AND WEST OF DC FROM WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND TO HARDY COUNTY, WV WESTWARD UNTIL 10:00PM ESTDiscussion: A line of storms that dropped golf-ball size hail in extreme southwestern PA is decending southeasterly at the current time. Unfortunatly, it does not look like the immediate metro area will see anything in the form of rain; the atmosphere is surprising stable this afternoon in spite of the relentless heat/humidity).The best bet for rain tonight, as mentioned earlier is west towards I-81.Chances for a shower/storm tonight:Baltimore: 0%Frederick: 10%Washington DC: 20%Winchester: 50%Fairfax: 30%Fredericksburg: 20%Radar at 3:40 showing the line of storms in the panhandle of MarylandAfter reaching 100 degrees in many areas today, relief is finally on the way in the form of severe thunderstorms associated with a boundary that will slip south of the area Friday . More on the severe storms for Thursday tomorrow...
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Highest temperatures so far this year on the way, thunderstorms to follow
2007-08-06 18:02:00
Temperatures reached 90 degrees yesterday at the Nation's Capital, but with dewpoint temperatures in the low to mid 70s, the 90 degree heat became an oppressive 94 or 95 degree oven. Today, high temperatures will once again touch, if not eclipse, the 90 degree mark. High moisture levels will create heat index values in the mid to upper 90s. A few showers and strong to severe thunderstorms are possible later today as a weak upper level disturbance passes through the region.The high temperatures and elevated dewpoints will contribute to large levels of instability this afternoon (see image at right). Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) is a measure of the relative amount of instability present in the atmosphere and is a good indication of the likelihood of severe weather. Values at or above 2000 Joules per kilogram are normally sufficient to sustain severe storms. The NAM model depicts CAPE values at or above 3000 J/kg later this afternoon. So, any storms that manage to deve...
More About: Ratu , Under , Year , Thunderstorms , Temp

Severe Storms possible Sunday; Blistering Heat for the Workweek
2007-08-05 03:43:00
A couple of severe storms are possible Sunday as a subtle shortwave trough moves into the Central Appalacians. As it does so, a nearly stationary front will sit across the area and spark a round of severe storms. Air soundings for Sunday afternoon show a very steep low-level lapse rate and dew points well into the 60s. What worries me is the perpendicular nature of the sheer in the atmosphere tomorrow--- that is, at the low-levels in the atmosphere, air will be flowing northeastward, while at the upper levels, air will be traveling southeastward. This perpendicualr nature of sheer allows thunderstorms to rotate, and produce hail and tornados. While a widespread severe weather event is not likely, if enough sun is able to destablize the atmosphere in the morning and early afternoon, a couple of storms may warrant warnings.If storms do get going, 4-9pm would be time periodto watch... good news for folks heading out to watch the Nats try to win 6 straight at 1:35. A very strong st...
More About: Heat , Teri , Ossi , Blister

Tropical Depression 3 Formed...
2007-07-31 19:11:00
UPDATE: Tropical depression 3 was upgraded to Tropical Storm status; Chantal is not a threat to the United States but may cause minor damage in eastern Newfoundland. The NHC announced this evening that the disturbance just west of Burmuda had gained enough strength to warrant being named a tropical depression.This storm has no chance of making US landfall, but may become a weak tropical storm before becoming extropical and absorbed into a strong cold front positioned well off the east coast.Storm track for Tropical Depression 3, showing the storm potentially strengthening to tropical storm status before accelerating Northeastwardly toward Iceland. ---------Meanwhile, nice weather, all be it hot, will dominate for the remainder of the workweek with a slight chance for a storm on Friday.
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Nice, but hot weather to continue. Little rain in sight
2007-07-26 16:22:00
Rainfall Remains Sparse:A persistent, cut-off upper level low pressure system continues to spin around over northern Ohio, and deliver showers to the Ohio River valley. The system will, unfortunately, fail to slide far enough to the east to deliver us any appreciable rainfall today or tomorrow. While there is a slight chance that some isolated areas receive rainfall from thunderstorms today, I would strongly bet against any precipitation around the region this afternoon.A piece of upper level energy is expected to break off the main upper level low complex by Saturday morning, delivering a slightly better chance for some rainfall to the parched metro region. The North American Mesoscale Model (66 hour forecast depicted at right) seems to be over-doing rainfall totals around the Mid Atlantic, indicating one-half to three-quarters of an inch of accumulated precipitation by Monday morning. We will likely see some rainfall by the end of this weekend, but should total less than one ...
More About: Weather , Rain , Nice , Sigh , Sight

Drought expanding with too much nice weather
2007-07-24 15:42:00
Today and Tomorrow:Temperatures today should creep into the mid 80s around the District, to near 90 south of town. There is a slight risk of a few thunderstorms later this afternoon as daytime heating destabilizes the atmosphere.Tomorrow, expect cloudier conditions than today as a weak mid and upper level impulse slides in from the west. There will be a slightly better chance of showers and thunderstorms than today.Local Drought Expanding:Since July 12, Reagan National Airport has reported only a Trace of rainfall, and our total monthly rainfall (1.33 inches) came on just four days during early June. Currently, rainfall deficits are running one to two inches below normal for the month from DC north and west. The exception is in Baltimore, where 1.8 inches of rain fell on July 10th during a severe thunderstorm.Presently, nearly the entire Mid Atlantic is experiencing abnormally dry conditions, and the areas of moderate drought have expanded over the past few weeks.While there is ...
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