Just how big was the DC snow storm? I am a fan of stats and usually when a city breaks a record, they just barely break it… but.. this one right is an eye popper.
Dulles International Airport: Previous record for most snow ever in a snow storm: 23.2 inches.
This past snowstorm dropped 32.4 inches of snow at Duller, shattering the previous record by nearly 9 inches. Wow!
-Damon
If you have had a weather question to ask over the past 2 months, there is a good chance that somewhere in the answer would be the word “El Nino”. El Nino has been the driving force in our weather pattern since early December. So, where do we go from here? There are signs that El Nino may start to show signs of weakening over the next month and by May/June we could be in a “neutral” phase where we have no El Nino or La Nina to speak of. But, with the chance of El Nino existing for the spring, our severe weather may be a little more active than normal.
-Damon
This month certainly has been a cold one across Oklahoma as we only have one day of this month that could be classified as “normal”. Last Friday we reached the lower 50s with sunshine, but every other day this month temperatures for highs have only been in the 30s. The outlook this month certainly looks cold.
The entire state of Oklahoma looks to have a chance of below normal temperatures, with those west of Oklahoma City seeing a greater than 40% chance and those east of Oklahoma City a greater than 50% chance. Looks like I picked the wrong month to expect my gas bill to start dropping.
-Damon
The Winter Games are not that far away and with any winter olympics, you really need to have mother nature on your side. However, while The Mid Atlantic has been getting slammed with heavy snow, Vancouver is hurting for snow. Personally, I am not surprised considering that it is a town that is at sea-level. But this year, the lack of snow seems to be an even bigger problem. The outdoor events will be scattered around British Columbia. For the snowboarding and freestyle skiing, those will be held at Cypress Mountain, a small ski hill in West Vancouver. This mountain sits at the lowest in elevation and because of that, has the hardest time making snow or even getting it to stay. Unfortunately, the weather for Cypress Mountain does not look good this week as a storm system looks to move in. With temperatures in the 40s, it’ll likely be an all rain event. How they will get this mountain ready with snow is beyond me, but I would not be surprised if we see large trucks bringing down snow from higher elevations.
(photo from the AP)
Get ready to hear to resort name Whistler-Blackcomb a lot! This is where most of the skiing events will be held. This mountain is HUGE and also has quite the vertical feet too. The weather here can be crazy as the base sits at an elevation of about 2000 feet with the summit around 7000 feet. It’s not uncommon to ski from the top to the bottom of the mountain and watch the snow turn to rain. To hold the downhill events here you really gotta know what you’re doing. This mountain seems fine and from the latest snow report is not hurting for snow. Actually, the seasons snowfall is quite impressive, over 1000cm of snow, which converted is almost 400 inches. The amount of snow being reported at Mid Mountain is slightly over 100 inches. The same storm that will bring rain to Vancouver will likely produce some serious snowfall for this mountain.As is, Whistler has been declared GAME READY by the Olympic Committee.
(photo from the AP)
GO USA!
-Damon
Why hello there sunshine… finally, the sun has returned! Here in the weather department, we look at a lot of maps, and at first glance you would think that we’re seeing a band of clouds just went of Oklahoma City…but nope…that’s SNOW on the ground.
So how is this possible? This form of satellite that we’re using here is called “VISIBLE SATELLITE”. Weather satellites placed about 22,000 miles in the sky are taking an actual picture of the earth. Because snow is quite bright when the sun hits it, it returns back to the satellite as being quite bright. Water on the other hand, like the ocean, absorbs sunlight and thus appears dark on images. By the way, those are clouds in The Texas Panhandle…
-Damon
We continue to inch even closer to setting a record for most snowfall ever in a winter season. Yesterday’s snow totals changed drastically as you went from the Southern Metro to the Northern Metro. While here at the station, I would bet that we picked up about 2-3 inches of snow, the airport only registered a half-inch. So, here is where we stand now.
19.7 inches which would have us about 5.5 inches below the record mark.
-Damon
Wondering how many days til it is officially spring? 38! And here are some other fun facts for you.
Sarah
But at least it is sunny! Plenty of sun today and into the afternoon
Wind Chills are in the single digits in most areas north of I-40. Looks dry through Wednesday with a chance for snow by Thursday.
Sarah
The snow that has fallen on and off through the day will be ending this evening as very cold air spreads in from the north. Northerly winds will gust to near 30 mph as temperatures drop into the 20s this evening, and into the teens in many areas overnight.
Even though the snow will be ending, the moisture on area roads will quickly freeze, leaving a coating of ice in most areas. Use caution when driving tonight into tomorrow. Especially take it easy on neighborhood roads, parking lots and even sidewalks.
Expect dry weather Tuesday and Wednesday, although it will remain quite cold with highs only in the 30s and lows in the teens.
Our next chance of snow will be Thursday as a storm system moves across Texas. It looks like enough moisture will spread north into Oklahoma to give us a chance of snow, perhaps accumulating snow. Depending on which model you buy, the snow could start as early as noon Thursday, or it could wait until late afternoon. In any case, if your travel plans take you anywhere from central Oklahoma into north Texas, you need to stay up to date on Thursday.
Friday through the weekend look dry and chilly at this point with highs in the 30s and 40s.
Rick
Many of you have asked if we’re done with the snow. The snow band that we had this morning is moving into Northeastern Oklahoma but another is moving in right behind if out of Southwestern Oklahoma with another around Lubbock,Texas. This will be the trend for most of the day that we will be in and out of the snow throughout the day.
As of this writing, we have a band of snow moving in and then another just east of Lubbock. As it is, we do not expect making any changes to our snowfall totals. 2-4 inches appears safe.
-Damon
