Airport hits 66 degrees
The official temperature at BWI-Marshall Airport today touched 66 degrees during the lunch hour. That was 9 degrees short of the record of 75 degrees, set on this date in 1967. But it was the warmest reading of the year, so far, and the warmest since Nov. 29, 2009, when we reached 67 degrees.
It was 67 degrees at Washington's Reagan National, and 65 out at Dulles Airport.
This breath of spring can't last, of course. The barometer is climbing again, and forecasters say the cold front that passed by with this morning's storm will eventually usher in colder air. Temperatures will fall for the balance of the week, dumping us back below normal - in the 30s - by Friday, with a forecast for snow, and weekend lows in the teens and 20s.
Today marks the 12th day in a row with above-average daily temperatures at BWI. The warm stretch followed a string of 12 days in a row of below-average temperatures (Jan. 2 to 13).
Steve Zubrick, science and operations officer at the NWS forecast office in Sterling, Va., has looked at the data and found that these runs of 10 or 15 days of above- or below-normal temperatures in January are not uncommon here.
But he agrees we're headed back into the cold cellar this week. Read his comments below.
Frank,
According to the latest preliminary climate data for Baltimore MD (as measured at BWI Airport)...
http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=NWS&product=CF6&issuedby=BWI
<http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=NWS&product=CF6&issuedby=BWI>
counting today (Mon, Jan 25)...where the daily avg temp is sure to be above the normal calendar day average since the day's high so far is 66F!, since Jan 14 (2010) Baltimore (as measured at BWI) has had 12 days in a row of above normal daily average temperatures (the 21st eek'ed by a slim +1 degF). The monthly average temperature in Baltimore (at BWI) through the 24th is +0.7F above normal.
Contrast this warm spell with the below normal readings from Jan 2 -13, 2010...that featured 12 days in a row of below normal average daily temperatures.
"Runs" of 10-15 days of above normal and/or below normal are not unusual in January.
In Baltimore, last January 2009, there was a "run" of 11 consecutive days with below normal daily average temps (Jan 12-22, inclusive). Jan 2008 featured a 14-day stretch of at or above normal daily average temps (Jan 6-19, inclusive).
Longer runs of warm or cold are possible in January. The warm, snow-less January of 2006 at BWI had only 1 day that averaged below normal (Jan 7, 2006) and the monthly average was +9.3F above normal!
The flip-flop from consecutive days of warm followed by consecutive days of cold conditions in January is not unusual.
January 2005, kind of a mirror opposite of this Jan 2010, featured the first half of the month much warmer than normal; then the second half was cold and had only 1 day above normal. That month (Jan 2005) ended up above normal for the month (+1.8F).
In January 2000 (the year of a big snowstorm on the 25th; BWI had 15"), the month started out very warm from the 1st-13th. It hit 70F on the 4th! Then the fridge door opened. The rest of the month (14th-31st) had below normal daily avg temps; save for the 24th (a measly +1F above normal). Overall, Jan 2000 average monthly temp ended up +0.7F above normal, but had over 3 times the monthly average snowfall (23.1").
January 1977 has been discussed by some weather-folk recently since it was very cold. January 1977 was -10.5F below normal! The month featured 29 out of 31 days with below normal average temps (the 4th and 25th being the only days to average above normal...perhaps they represent the "January thaw" for that month ;). There was 8.5" of snow that month (slightly above the normal of 7" for January in Baltimore).
Like it warm in January??
It's not unusual to see 70F readings in January. It came within 4 degF of that today! Six out of the last ten years have had a least 1 day of 70F or greater in January in Baltimore. In January 1950 there were five 70+F days!
But is has never (since records began in 1871) hit or broken 80F in January in Baltimore. The closest was 79F (twice; Jan 14, 1932 and Jan 25, 1950). January 1932 still holds the record for the warmest January on record (see below).
We likely will not hit 70F this January. Cooler conditions are forecast for the remainder of the month.The latest (as of Jan 24) 6-10 day (Jan 30-Feb 3) and 8-14 day (Feb 1-7) temp. outlooks both call for below normal temps for much of the U.S. (including the entire Mid-Atlantic region).
And finally, Baltimore has measured just under 2" of snow (1.8") through Jan 24. There's snow in the forecast for late in the work week. To me, it looks like this month (Jan 2010) will end up with below normal snowfall.
Regards, Steve Z
PS...found this in an old AFD...re: Jan 1932...
THE LONGEST STRING OF ABOVE FREEZING DAYS IN BALTIMORE IS AN INCREDIBLE 30 DAYS WHICH OCCURRED JAN 1 THROUGH 30 IN 1930...A MONTH WHICH TURNED OUT TO HAVE THE HIGHEST AVERAGE JANUARY MONTHLY TEMPERATURE AT 47.4F...OR PLUS 14.8F ABOVE THE NORMAL JANUARY MONTHLY AVERAGE.
