Bill O'Leary/WASHINGTON POST - Tourists and seagulls carry on along 3rd street near the Capitol as a snow squall with heavy wind begins on Saturday.
In the middle of a balmy February, which followed a benign January, the true harshness of winter made a dramatic appearance Saturday.
For the first 10 days of this month, the average temperature at Reagan National Airport was seven degrees above normal. It seemed like spring.
But in an online discussion of what is expected for Sunday, a National Weather Service meteorologist wrote: “The forecast through Sunday can be summed up in one phrase. . . . Brrr.”
At Reagan Airport on Saturday evening, howling winds gusted as high as 43 mph at 8 p.m. It added a severe sting to the plunging temperature.
By 8 p.m. the temperature, which had been as high as 43 degrees a few hours before, had fallen to 29. That figure, with temperatures expected to keep falling matched the 29-degree low for the month, measured on Feb. 6.
Meanwhile, flakes from an afternoon snow squall were flung about by the rising wind, creating, at least temporarily, a fair facsimile of a true winter blizzard.
SuperFan Badge
SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.
Culture Connoisseur Badge
Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.
Fact Checker Badge
Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.
Washingtologist Badge
Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.
Post Writer Badge
This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.
Post Forum Badge
Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.
Weather Watcher Badge
Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.
World Watcher Badge
World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.
Post Contributor Badge
This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.
Post Recommended
Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.
You must be logged in to report a comment.
You must be logged in to recommend a comment.
Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.
All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.
To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.
The Post Most: LocalMost-viewed stories, videos and galleries int he past two hours
Get paid for your H I P I M P L A N T troubles.>>Jason Samenow
Donna St. George
::unspecified::
More ways to get us
Loading...
Comments