Capital Weather Gang - DC area weather blog, news - March 7, 2010

Forecast: Steady rains to subside, still showery

What an ugly weekend. It will be cloudy. breezy, and cool for the duration. On the plus side, the rain will slowly decrease in coverage and intensity. In fact, after last night's steady rains, today's rain will be more intermittent and showery. Tomorrow, there probably won't be much measurable rain but mainly drizzle. We'll gradually dry out Monday into Tuesday.

By Jason Samenow | March 13, 2010; 2:45 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Forecasts
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PM Update: Periods of heavy rain into Saturday

Flood risk increases by late tomorrow * Flood Watch continues through Saturday evening * * Coastal Flood Advisory for the Potomac River & Chesapeake Bay * * Significant flood threat | Frederick road closures | CWG T-Shirts! * * Outside now? Radar, temps & more: Weather Wall | Traffic *...

By Capital Weather Gang | March 12, 2010; 10:50 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Forecasts
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Significant flood risk from rising rivers & streams

* Flood Watch through Saturday evening: CWG's Full Forecast * * Flooding forces Frederick road closures | CWG T-Shirts! * * Outside now? Radar, temps & more: Weather Wall | Traffic * Flood threat: Outlined areas indicate risk of excessive rainfall capable of causing small streams to flood through Saturday...

By Dan Stillman | March 12, 2010; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Floods
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Forecast: Wet into weekend with flood threat

Not too chilly, but becoming windy tonight * Flood Watch thru Sat. evening | Later: Latest on flood threat * * February's once in a lifetime snows | March is fickle | CWG T-Shirts! * * Outside now? Radar, temps & more: Weather Wall | Traffic * Today's Daily Digit A...

By Camden Walker | March 12, 2010; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (31)
Categories: Forecasts
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PM Update: Long-duration deluge starts tonight

Temperatures have again topped out in the low-to-mid 60s across the area this afternoon despite mostly cloudy skies. Rain, now to our south and southwest, will work its way up here by late this evening and last through the overnight before more arrives Friday and Saturday.

By Ian Livingston | March 11, 2010; 8:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Forecasts
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February recap: Once in a lifetime snows

Statistical odds suggest Washingtonians alive today may never experience another 10 days of weather comparable to February 1-10, 2010. The amount of snow we witnessed in that short span was unprecedented (in recorded history), and will likely stand in the record book unsurpassed for years to come.

By Jason Samenow | March 11, 2010; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Local Climate, Snowmageddon
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Forecast: Some clouds now, big rains Fri. into Sat.

This forecast is a wet one! The models over the past 24 hours have all been simulating 2 to 4 inches of rain for the upcoming storm to impact the area Friday through Sunday. This is a real "megastorm" with a circulation extending from the Plains to the East Coast. The main rains are not expected to occur until Saturday when the system's primary energy will crank up the east winds. We'll be closely monitoring the possibility of flooding on the Potomac though the risk would have been worse if we hadn't managed to melt much of the snow downstream of the river's north branch.

By David Streit | March 11, 2010; 10:45 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Forecasts
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PM Update: Clouds arrive ahead of next storm

The brilliant sunshine of the past several days has pretty much vanished but mild temperatures remain as we await an onslaught of rain. Though we have to wait a while for more sunny days, allergy sufferers are surely looking for a little rainy relief, as yesterday's tree pollen count was rated "high" on a scale from "absent" to "very high".

By Ian Livingston | March 10, 2010; 3:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Forecasts
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March: A fickle month by any standard

Growing up in New Jersey, I had always heard the adage, "If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb, and vice versa." But in recent years, the various media seem to have modified the saying to read, "If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb." with no vice versa. (This may be a regional thing however, because my wife, a native Washingtonian, doesn't remember the "vice versa" at all.) Anyway, is that the effect that global warming is having on us, that March always goes out like a lamb these days?

By Don Lipman | March 10, 2010; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Local Climate
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Forecast: Still mild, but clear skies cloud up

Not much rain until late Thurs.; Flood risk by weekend? * Calming the climate science crisis | Snow pile watch | CWG T-Shirts! * * Webcam & more: Weather Wall | 26 days 'til Opening Day NatCast * Today's Daily Digit A somewhat subjective rating of the day's weather, on a...

By Dan Stillman | March 10, 2010; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Forecasts
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PM Update: Pleasant weather on borrowed time

Wall-to-wall sunshine helped temperatures soar -- more than 30 degrees in spots -- off chilly morning lows to highs in the low-and-mid 60s. The warmth is not going anywhere right away, but the weather will trend downward on other fronts over the next few days.

By Ian Livingston | March 9, 2010; 3:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Forecasts
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How to calm the climate science confidence crisis

* Enjoy today's sun before it's gone: Full Forecast | CWG T-Shirts! * * Snow pile watch | Polar opposite positions on snow * Following the uproar caused by 'climategate' and the finding of errors in parts of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report, scientists...

By Andrew Freedman | March 9, 2010; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (110)
Categories: Climate Change, Freedman, News & Notes, Science
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Forecast: Enjoy today's fantastic sun and warmth

Do your best to enjoy today, because the weather starts to head downhill by tomorrow. The interesting thing about our warm weather is that it is accompanied by very dry air. Dew points have been as much as 40-50 degrees colder than the temperature. What does that mean? Well, the breezes make it feel a lot cooler than calm conditions and if you are prone to dry skin, you have definitely noticed. Our air mass will gradually moisten in the days ahead, but unfortunately that will also start to wipe out our sun by tomorrow.

By Matt Rogers | March 9, 2010; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Forecasts
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PM Update: Spring preview rolls on

Another in a string of beautiful spring-like days is winding down, but not before producing temperatures near and above 60. While the mild temperatures are not going anywhere right away, the sun will go into hiding by Wednesday.

By Ian Livingston | March 8, 2010; 3:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Forecasts
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Polar opposite positions on snow

As we've seen all winter, there's not a lot of middle ground on snow. People either love it or hate it. So as piles become thinner and thinner, it's rather entertaining to read some of the online reactions from the two extremes.

By Jason Samenow | March 8, 2010; 12:45 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Capital Weather Gang, Humor
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Snow Pile Watch 2010

While above-freezing temperatures and sometimes sunny skies have been gradually melting over the past few weeks, most parking lots and road shoulders continue to have fairly large mounds of snow. In some parking lots, however, the snow piles have almost completely disappeared as maintenance crews have hauled away the snow or consolidated the piles into distant corners of their property.

By Kevin Ambrose | March 8, 2010; 10:45 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Photography
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Forecast: Sun & sixty early week, then showery

Yesterday, our three local airports fell just shy of 60 (59 at Reagan National and Dulles, and 57 at BWI). Over the next three days, we stand a strong chance of reaching that elusive number at least once as we continue thawing out after one of the longest winters in recent memory. Then, the rains will come. The period from late Wednesday into the weekend looks cloudy and quite wet. So get your fill of sunshine early on this week.

By Jason Samenow | March 8, 2010; 10:45 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Forecasts
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Forecast: Work week to start in fine fashion

If you've been enjoying our breakout into the 50s, I've got plenty more for you. High pressure will continue to hold serve for the next several days spelling sunny skies and seasonal warmth for all of us. Even the mightiest of snowpiles will begin to dwindle at the end of this run. The second half of the week looks much wetter, but temperatures will remain mild. Could we make it a week straight in the 50s?

By Brian Jackson | March 7, 2010; 3:45 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Forecasts
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Capital Weather Gang: March 7, 2010 - March 13, 2010