December Cold impressive so Far in Mid-Atlantic

[DCmetroraleigh]

Despite predictions in November, that early and mid December would be mild and uneventful, the month has turned out impressively cold and frozen so far. DCA has had two significant snow events, with snows mounds still in places, and temps are averaging about 4 degrees below normal. In Central NC, cities are averaging about 5 degrees below normal, and there has been big snow in the western part of the state.

[therock1811]

It's COLD!!!!!!!!

[Stormsfury]

November and December have been two contrastingly varying months by Charleston, SC's standards ... after a very warm November, December has been quite cold ... including this morning's 22º temperature observed here this morning.

SF

[WEATHER53]

Very much so, -4 around here and DCA. I am hoping now we simply did not get our months out of order and that instead of December being mild with Jan/Feb cold that it turns out the reverse.

[Stephanie]

What I can't get over is the wind that we've been experiencing! The cold goes right through you!

[weatherscope]

Had the coldest ngt so far this winter last ngt 20.2..We still have patches of ice in the shady areas!

[Anonymous]

I am quite concerned that because December has been SOOOOO frigid, Jan may compensate by being about avg or a touch above in temps. I'm not trying to be a negative weather weenie here; just asserting that nature often balances things out.

December has been quite BELOW avg in the Mid Atlantic as regards temperatures.

Again, I am not trying to be a negative weather weenie. What I'd love to experience is a frigid Jan-Feb with plenty of snow, but 30 years' experience on the Mid Atlantic has shown me otherwise. I am beginning to back up a bit just to be careful here. I am certain that places like the Northeast are going to have a very, very bad winter indeed, because of the above-norm precip and the fact that those locales often get snow just because they are so far north that they simply can't help but get snow. But you have to remember that the reason that places like the Mid Atlantic measure snows to the tune of 1 to 2 feet only once every 7 to 20 years is this:

1) Simple Climo, for one.
2) Mid Atlantic fights a pitched battle every winter with two forces of nature that cannot be denied: The Rain/Snow Line, and the Suppression problem. Again I don't mean to be a negative weather weenie here, but I have been living here for over 30 years now, and the above 2 factors rule the Mid Atlantic.

When the Mid Atlantic gets a chance for snow, the rain/snow line is definately a factor in many forecasts. Okay. Bring in the cold Canadian air. Fine. Last January, we saw plenty of that. Guess what we dealt with then: Suppression! When there is a cross-polar flow over the North American continent, suppression can not be denied: Storms track farther south because of simple physics.

The thing that is good for snow fanatics like myself is this: Once every 10 to about 15 years, things are just right for a snow like PD2 last February.

If this post is construed as a negative weather weenie post, I apologize in advance. I just wanted to point out the above two factors in winter weather forecasting here in the Mid Atlantic.

We have rain and a lot of it coming. I'll take it with a smile. I really need to move much farther north with my severe snow obsession, however, the fact that I am that way is likely all the more reason that that won't happen lol

Everyone that gets snow, ENJOY your snow!!! Look at it for me please!


JEB!!

[weatherscope]

JEB: Seems like you love winter wx as much as i do!!...lol!

[Anonymous]

However in keeping with this thread, I have to admit that having received a 4 inch and a 5 inch snow in December and before the start of winter, no less, is really something. We still have piles of snow that I conduct jebwalks just to look at. Last night we hit 22 degrees which is the lowest we've experienced so far this winter. However we are warming quickly; we hit 45 today, tomorrow we'll hit 55 and Tuesday we will see 60 or better. We'll enjoy a soaking Christmas rain , then 40s to 50s for the next ten days with the next storm forecast easily as rain.

Way I see it, if we gotta have a warm spell, lets get it over with now. Then Jan can be super cold with a major blizzard, climo notwithstanding, then more cold air after and I can have many joyful jebwalks and check out very high snowbanks all I want!!

We can always dream!!!


JEB

[Anonymous]

JEB: Seems like you love winter wx as much as i do!!...lol!

Yeah I do. My snow obsession is very strong; indeed it embarrasses my family to no end lol. Last February 27 at 10pm, my Dad and I had a serious discussion about me turning on the outside light and staring out at the 2-inch wide snowflakes. I will be 40 years old on March 16 2004 and Dad thinks I should grow up and be normal like everyone else. Dad thought me turning on the outside light and spending 30 minutes obsessively enjoying the huge snowflakes was too obsessive and he was embarrassed because he thought the neighbors could see our outside light was on and see me staring out at the very heavy snow. My obsession deeply embarrasses my Dad and my family. Well I won't change lol. Now I am switching to jebwalks and looking at snowpiles as opposed to spending four hours at a time shoveling snow. I am using Christian worship music to jack up my moods, already very high due to snow or the anticipation of it, while walking around on the aforementioned jebwalks.

Yeah I REALLY love snow; I am already spending a lot of time praying for 36 inches of snow here in Woodbridge with high winds so drifts will be around 15, maybe 20 feet. Then the end loaders can pile it way up so I can go out on another jebwalk and play that worship music on my CD headphones and get all awestruck at 5 foot walls of snow all along roadways and stupendously enormous 20 to 30 foot mountains of plowed snow at our local mall, Potomac Mills!!!

That, to me, is what life is truly all about.

However, I'll need a tremendous amount of good luck on the three feet of snow..........it all comes down to the good old Mid Atlantic Climo and the rain/snow line and/or suppression problem. Maybe in another 17 years lol? I'll only be 57 years old...........maybe I'll still be fairly good at walking around to see my snowpiles! LOL LOL LOL

BRING IT!!!!!!!


JEB

[Guest]

BUT only for the Northeast.... the rest of the US has seen much to much above to EXTREMELY much above normal temps and little snow

Despite predictions in November, that early and mid December would be mild and uneventful, the month has turned out impressively cold and frozen so far. DCA has had two significant snow events, with snows mounds still in places, and temps are averaging about 4 degrees below normal. In Central NC, cities are averaging about 5 degrees below normal, and there has been big snow in the western part of the state.

[Guest]

BUT only for the Northeast.... the rest of the US has seen much to much above to EXTREMELY much above normal temps and little snow

Despite predictions in November, that early and mid December would be mild and uneventful, the month has turned out impressively cold and frozen so far. DCA has had two significant snow events, with snows mounds still in places, and temps are averaging about 4 degrees below normal. In Central NC, cities are averaging about 5 degrees below normal, and there has been big snow in the western part of the state.

Hold up. As seen by another post the south central has been below and so has the OV/Lakes. Ask me and it was a split. Se has even been cooler then normal i do believe which i think SF can attest to or correct if im wrong.

Main areas for above normal i would have to say is the plains on westward. especially from KS north and west you can as well include MO to a degree as well. Not much however. about 1+ above there.

Here where i am at is running alot colder and already ahead of last years snow by a couple of inches which i suspect could be by alot more then that come Christmas.

Just my .2cents worth.

[Squall52]

Seems to me like we haven't had a really strong/widespread arctic outbreak yet, esp in the plains. Feel free to correct me, give a differing opinon, but it seems like it's getting a little late. Plenty of early season cold here, and a number of days not getting out of the upper 20s, but nothing extremely brutal yet. I did a little climatology about early season cold here when I was bored back in november sometime. It's hard to draw many real conclusions from it, and the significance is questionable...but here...

For Rochester, New York
From 1970-2002
Median first 39F or lower high: Nov 11
Median first 35F or lower high: Nov 16
Median first 32F or lower high: Nov 26
Median first 25F or lower high: Dec 13

This year: Oct 23, Nov 8, Dec 2, and no 25F highs yet. However, we've had a couple days of only 26F, and many other cold days. This is a much colder month than some Decembers which hit 25F in a quick punch of cold air, and were mild the rest of the time. Also little 'timing' issues can throw perception off, ie saturday was never out of the mid 20s, but much of the area approached 30 in the few hours after midnight.

1990, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2001 are the only years in the set with a later date of 25F or lower high, so far. However, the way things are looking, we may have to drop all but 1997 and 2001. Now we all know the planetary/synoptic patterns are much different than the patterns in those years, but it is kinda interesting. However, if we had been one degree lower on one or two days this december, I wouldn't be posting this. So take it for what it's worth.

[DCmetroraleigh]

In many ways, it reminds me of last year, just a more moderate version. While the cold was consistent and impressive, it was not record-breaking or catastrophic cold. That is what made it so great in many ways. IT was resiliant, but not brutal.

[DCmetroraleigh]

This morning Charlotte hit 17 degrees, Raleigh 19, and Asheville 14, the coldest thus far this season for those North Carolina cities.

[Stormsfury]

The cold air has been highly focused primarily in the Southeast and portions of the Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast ... The Southeast has had a couple of CAD events, which aided in the bringing the averages down and the current very cold snap behind last week's storm and secondary clipper system ...

http://www.stormsfury1.com/Temp/TempLoops/UAC.html

[Anonymous]

Despite today's high of 45 degrees, the remaining snowpiles are holding up well. Tonight I took yet another jebwalk and I saw water that was draining from the piles of snow at Potomac Mills was already refreezing, even though the ambient air temps were 37 degrees, DP 10. Last night we had a refreshing, life-giving low of 22, but we gotta hunker down again to get thru this next unfortunate mild wave of highs in the 50s possibly low 60s with lows in the mid upper 40s!!! Jeez, what is this? Spring already?

The ground was frozen, local ponds were finally frozen over, and now-----all this wonderful winter progress is at an end as that doggone damaging mild weather gets set to make a major comeback:(

We now have no choice but to endure this terrible warming trend. I hold out a little hope that maybe we will luck out and get that wonderful dry slot and thus get away with only scattered light rain showers.

But I have seen nearly 70 inches of rain so far this year in Woodbridge, and as much as I loathe even the heretic thought of a lot of rain, I am very much afraid that we are going to get drenched with yet another overwhelmingly heavy 2 to 4 inch rain, with associated flooding.

If only that would fall as SNOW!!!!!!

I would be so content!!!! So much snow to shovel, so many landscape-dominating enormous snow piles to savor and look at!!!

I really love to dream lol!

JEB