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Today's Daily Digit10

 

A somewhat subjective rating of the
day's weather, on a scale of 0 to 10.

 

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After such a mild winter, it seems a little silly getting spring fever but this is the day to do it!
 
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Today: Becoming mostly sunny. 66-70. | Tonight: Increasing clouds, light showers late. 48-52. | Tomorrow: Partly sunny, breezy with p.m. showers. 61-67. | Get Express Forecast by E-mail

Yesterday was just the warm up, pun intended, as today makes us all long for an early dismissal from whatever keeps us indoors. Tomorrow also promises another temperature treat but a stronger breeze makes it a bit harder to appreciate. and showers may arrive during the afternoon. This sad excuse of a winter tries to bully back in for the weekend but the best it can do is knock highs down to just below normal. Our good fortune is the normal highs are now crossing the 50 degree threshold.

Snow Potential Index: 1 (→) - Sigh, one model is giving us a chance for snow next Wednesday night...right...snow lovers close your eyes, click your heels 3 times and keep saying "there's no place like Nome".

 

The SPI is a daily assessment of the potential for accumulating snow for the next week on a 0-10 scale. Get the 'SPI' on Twitter

 

Today (Thursday): There could still be a pall of clouds to start the morning after last night’s sprinkles but they should erode by midday and let the fun, I mean sun, begin. It looks like record highs are unlikely, but breaking the 70 degree mark could happen in a few places. The breeze from the west is light. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: Clouds make a comeback this evening but it is worth getting out as readings hang in the upper 50s to lower 60s. About 30% of the area may see a few rain drops mainly after midnight. Light breezes from the south keep most temperatures from falling below our normal highs overnight. Lows reach the upper 40s to lower 50s. Confidence: Medium-High

For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast into early next week...

Partly sunny skies dominated the day, and the fact that spring is creeping ever closer might have been apparent if outdoors. Afternoon temperatures ranging from near 60 to the low 60s were quite delightful! There’s even more warmth ahead tomorrow, but first we might have to deal with a few rain drops here and there.

Through Tonight: We’re mostly cloudy pretty much all night, with showers possible and perhaps even a rumble of thunder during the evening. Showers may persist past midnight, particularly south and east. Most spots should not a lot or even any rain. Lows range from the lower 40s in the cooler suburbs to the upper 40s downtown.

Tomorrow (Thursday): It should be partly sunny overall, with pretty mild temperatures. Winds from the west will help warm the already toasty (at least for February) air mass. If clouds are numerous, mid-60s might be all we can do, but some places might try to run at 70 as well. There is a slight chance of a shower or two, particularly during the second part of the day, primarily over northwestern areas.

See Dan Stillman’s forecast through the weekend. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter . For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock.

Pollen update: Tree pollen has soared into the HIGH range at 106.07 grains per cubic meter. Trees waking up in full force include Elm, Cyprus, Juniper, Alder, Maple and Pine. We’re running well above average for this time of year on tree pollen, while mold spores remain LOW.

Of 25 cities analyzed across the country, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. have the lowest percentage of average annual snowfall year-to-date.Most of the Lower 48 United States has been snow challenged during the winter of 2011-2012. But of a select set of major cities, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. have the nation’s biggest snowfall deficits.

Charm City and our Nation’s Capital have received just 11 and 17 percent (or about 2”) of their average year-to-date snowfall (of about 12 to 17”), respectively.

Snowfall data indicate almost all of the U.S. cities (that average at least 10” of snow year-to-date) analyzed* have received less snow than normal.

One of the few cities with substantially above average snow? Denver.

The warmer than normal winter is expected to continue into at least the first two weeks of March and will probably last through the month. That doesn’t mean there won’t be quick shots of colder than normal weather but that there is unlikely to be sustained cold. And snowstorms will still probably be hard to come by.

While snow chances will be suppressed due to the lack of persistent cold air, the average snowfall during March is so low (1.3, 1.9 and 2.8 for Reagan National, BWI and Dulles airports respectively) that it only takes one snowstorm to put you over the top. Therefore, I’m much more confident about temperatures averaging above normal through March than the outlook for snow. My call for less than average snowfall is just about as likely to be wrong as right.

A snow-covered barn in Madison County, Virginia on Monday morning.

I never planned to do a Capital Weather Gang post. I spent much of last week in the hospital with the passing of my dad. The weekend was filled with family and making final arrangements. Then, on Monday, there was a break. Services would occur later in the week.

On Monday morning, I decided to take a long drive with my camera and my thoughts. The camera would give me a purpose and the drive was for thinking and remembering.

It had snowed the previous night in central Virginia so I decided to drive south down Route 29. I traveled as far as Charlottesville, to Monticello, then I turned around. I stopped a few times to take photos during the drive and I photographed Monticello in the snow. It was a beautiful scene.

Some of the photos, I thought, turned out fairly well so I decided to share them here. I also included a photo of my dad at the end of this post. A gallery with more photos (higher resolution) can be viewed here.

Read below to see more photos.