Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The historic groundhog's prediction of an early spring was proved wrong when Northern Virginia received heavy snowfall Monday; the National Weather Service tells Patch what the region should prepare for going into spring and summer.
On Saturday, Feb. 2, the well-known groundhog Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow, leading an entire nation to believe spring was soon to come. Unfortunately, Northern Virginia saw heavy snowfall the past Sunday night into Monday morning that caused school delays and closures and a bit of trouble during the morning commute. Luckily, the snowy winter is finally moving along, and sunshine is soon to come according to meteorologist Chris Strong with the National Weather Service (NWS). "We will really start to turn the corner in April. We'll be seeing a transition the first of April instead of in March like some areas," Strong said. "It's a situation where you go from winter straight into summer." Strong said Northern Virginia should …
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Patch spoke to the National Weather Service forecast office Tuesday at noon for the latest information on the coming winter storm.
A winter storm is headed for Northern Virginia and to find out the latest timeline, Patch spoke Tuesday with meteorologist Calvin Meadows, who is with the Baltimore-Washington forecast office for the National Weather Service. Here's a timeline of what to expect, according to Meadows: A "rain-snow" line will determine which areas see more snow than others, Meadows said. "We're expecting the rain-snow line to kind of waiver back and forth over that area [Fairfax County]," said Meadows, "primarily west of I-95 and east of the Blue Ridge." "Right now, the latest information indicates that west of 95, the best-case scenario, is 5 inches of snow in Fairfax County. The worst-case is 12 inches of snow." When will the snow fall? "As far as when we…
Monday, March 4, 2013
The National Weather Service is calling for significant snow for the area.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Fairfax Station and Northern Virginia starting Tuesday evening until Wednesday evening. Significant snow is expected to begin falling between 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. A winter storm watch means there is a potential for significant snow, sleet or ice accumulations that may impact travel. An accumulation of more than 5 inches of snow is possible with the potential of heavy snowfall within the watch area. The NWS reports that precipitation will be mixing and changing to snow Tuesday night, with snow continuing through Wednesday evening. The weather will cause difficult driving conditions. Heavy wet snow could also cause possible power outages. NWS, however, notes that "…
Friday, January 25, 2013
National Weather Service issues advisory from 2 to 9 p.m. in Northern Virginia, saying snowfall will be heaviest in late afternoon and early evening.
The National Weather Service has put a winter weather advisory in place for much of Friday afternoon and evening, warning roads will become snow covered and slippery and could cause "hazardous travel during the afternoon and evening commute." The advisory is in place for Vienna, Falls Church and Fairfax City, along with Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Fairfax counties, Washington, D.C., and points as far north and south as Gaithersburg and Warrenton. The service predicts "snow will begin during the mid-afternoon and taper off in the evening. Snow may be moderate to locally heavy at times during the late afternoon and early evening." Snowfall is expected to be between 1 to 2 inches. Fairfax County Public Schools is closing two hours …
Thursday, January 24, 2013
More than 500 trucks will be out salting roads, officials say.
Northern Virginia woke up to a blanket of snow Thursday and began preparing for Round 2 forecast for Friday. Weather forecasters say to expect more snow to start falling Friday, between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. There is a 70 percent chance that Northern Virginia will get hit with snow, said Steve Goldstein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. He said it won’t be a lot but will fall through Friday's rush hour. “We’re looking at another inch or maybe an inch and a half,” Goldstein said. The region was coated with about an inch of snow Thursday morning. Virginia Department of Transportation salted main roads to help ease the morning commute. Joan Morris, a spokeswoman for VDOT, said crews will pre-treat main roads Thursday night into …
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Snow plows wait patiently at Rose Hill Plaza for the snow to fall Thursday afternoon.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for Thursday, and snow plow drivers waited patiently for the first sign of snowflakes. Alan Day with Colton Enterprises said they never know how long they could be waiting. Many of the workers retreated to the inside of their trucks to avoid the cold while waiting for the snow Thursday afternoon. The National Weather Service canceled the weather advisory around the time we took these photos. [Subscribe to Kingstowne Patch's daily newsletter or breaking news alerts.]
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
The storm watch begins Thursday morning.
Update 2:30 p.m. Thursday: The Winter Weather Advisory for the Washington area has been canceled. -- The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather storm watch for the Fairfax County area which will be in effect Thursday morning until late Thursday night. Heavy snow is expected during this time, accumulating to an estimated five inches. Snow may mix with rain earlier in the day and will become heavier throughout the afternoon. Snowfall is expected to end Thursday night. Temperatures will be in the lower 30s, and winds are expected to be northwest 5 to 10 mph and gusts up to 20 mph. Roads may become slick and covered in snow, especially during the evening rush hour. According to NWS, a winter storm watch means there is a potential…
Saturday, January 12, 2013
The average temperature at Reagan National Airport was 3.3 degrees above normal for the year.
2012 was the warmest year on record in the DC area, according to data from the National Weather Service. The average temperature at the airport was 61.5 degrees in 2012—that's 3.3 degrees above the annual normal from 1981 to 2010. The March 2012 average was 10 degrees above the normal average for that month, according to data from the National Weather Service. The high temperature average "would be comparable to the normal annual temperature of Atlanta, Oklahoma City and San Jose, just to name a few locations," the National Weather Service reported. Prior to 2012, the warmest year on record at Reagan was 1991, when the average was 60.2 degrees. Dulles Airport also recorded its warmest year on record with an average high of 57.9 degrees. …
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
The advisory will be in effect until 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Update 12:17 p.m. - The winter weather advisory, which was originally set to expire at 1 p.m., has been extended to 7 p.m. in the DC metro area. --------------- The National Weather Service in Baltimore has issued a winter weather advisory for Fairfax County for a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. The advisory is in effect until 1 p.m. Wednesday. According to the advisory, NWS expects less than an inch of sleet accumulation, temperatures in the upper 20s to lower 30s and north winds at 10 to 20 mph and gusts up to 35 mph. The weather conditions can cause treacherous travel conditions. NWS advises motorists to be prepared for slippery roads and limited visibilities.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Dec. 21 is the first day of winter, not quite the end of the world.
The Mayan calendar predicted the end of the world Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. But instead, the world made it to 12:01 a.m. and all is the same — except the weather it seems. Dec. 21 is the official first day of winter. With the gusty winds outside, the start of winter is holding no punches. The high wind will continue into the weekend. With that in mind, the National Weather Service has issued a high wind advisory for Friday morning through Saturday afternoon. High winds can bring down trees, power lines, signs and other objects that are not secure — including holiday decorations, so Fairfax County suggests taking some time Friday to secure decorations and other objects that can potentially turn into dangerous projectiles. Fairfax County …
Florence Eilola
1:54 pm on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
I'd rather have snow than that rain-sleet-ice mix ! more ›