Friday was partly cloudy most of the day, cloudy in the evening with light snow falling overnight (see featured image taken about 0730 Saturday), and cold, though not as cold as Thursday. The Thursday minimum temperature from the VP2 (17.1°) was recorded at 0023 while the maximum temperature (27.9°) was recorded at 1456. Dew point temperatures ranged from 2° at 0001 up to 11° at 1712. Relative humidity values were roughly the same as yesterday’s values (67% – 47%). Barometric values continued to fall after hitting its max for this cold snap of 30.71″ on Thursday. Friday’s range went from a morning max of 30.51″ at 0001 down to 30.28″ much later at 2358.

Remember now you can get the VP2 data on Weatherlink. You can access the data through http://www.weatherlink.com/user/walrusman444.

I am posting daily to weather underground. My ID is KMDROCKV200 and my station is called “Gardens of Traville.” Data is online, normally just about in real-time. I contribute daily to cocorahs as Rockville 2.8 WNW, Station ID MD-MG-115. Please take note that Weather Underground does not report snow data, and reflects what is recorded automatically through the tipping bucket VP2 gauge.

I was up in the mid afternoon to make the weekly rummikub game next door at 1500. We had one table of 5-6 players that was lively at times, with many others socializing with us in the big party room. We decided to get together for an early New Years Eve dinner Sunday at 1800. A pot luck, and will end well before midnight. I am going to try and make beef stroganoff in my new 8 quart crockpot, which arrived today from Best Buy. After rummikub, I had a late afternoon brunch of cereal, bananas and coffee, and some salads. I watched several college football bowl games on Friday afternoon and evening. This long weekend through Monday will feature the heaviest concentration of bowl football action, including the Saturday night Orange Bowl that will feature my Badgers taking on Miami in Miami’s Orange Bowl at 2000. I talked with Ray early and late, helping him out with the arrival of a new LaCrosse weather station that he is going to use as a barograph backup. I spoke with Tracy on her way between jobs as she usually does on Fridays, and later with Robin on Face-Time with Gideon mostly in his crib drinking a bottle of formula. Later on, I ate the rest of the home-baked chicken that Tracy brought over a few days ago, along with the rest of the Chicken Matzoh Ball soup. It hit the spot! I had some of my V8 and prune juice, and my usual water, vitamins, medications/supplements later.

We have cloudy skies now, as the light snow that started around 0130-0200 ended around 0500 with more slightly possible later. The image below shows my new snow stake as of 0730 Saturday morning – can anyone read it? I plan on getting binoculars very soon to help in that regard…

There is only a 30 POP for this activity to continue through the morning hours, then just cloudy skies the rest of the day, with high temps milder than they have been, up into the mid 30s, lows dipping down into the mid teens. New Years Eve Sunday should plunge us back into the deep freeze, with high temps in the low-mid 20s and lows down around 10° under partly sunny skies. New Years Day should be mostly sunny and cold once again, with highs in the low-mid 20s and lows in the upper single digits. Tuesday should be sunny and a few degrees less cold than Monday, then Wednesday mostly sunny with highs in the low 30s and lows in the mid teens.

On the Channel 4 weather website at 0756 radar is showing the areas of light snow have generally moved north and east, over parts of far-northern Maryland, much of PA, a good part of NJ into southern NY, and some areas west over the central mountains of WV at this time.

As of 0756, the data from the VP2 (coming from the ground radiation shield about 4 feet off the ground just under and out from the balcony) and the Lakewood WXBug station are as follows :

Station Relative Location Temp RH DP   BP      Wind High/Low temp today
VP2              Ground          21.3   89 19 30.16F    NA    27.9/17.1

There was no precipitation in the cocorahs gauge on Friday through midnight obs. The VP2 tipping bucket rain gauge under my balcony recorded no precipitation on Friday through midnight.

December precipitation is 0.80″ through midnight obs Friday.

December snowfall is 3.3″. The seasonal snowfall total is 3.3″.

Year-to-date precipitation total is 39.31″

WX Bug * Lakewood 4500 ft, 20 98 19 30.12F Calm G SSE 2
                                 140° from station                      28/12

* The Lakewood gauge is temporarily down for some unknown reason. The closest substitute being used today is from the Mary of Nazareth School a few miles away for the time being. The Mary of Nazareth rain gauge reported no precipitation through midnight on Friday. It is reporting 1.17″ for the month and 40.51″ for the year.

Temp from the VP2 at 2400 was 21.5 RH 59% BP 30.28F DP 9.5. Cloudy, cold and dry at that point.

Good morning from the cloudy, cold, and happily snowy Walrus early on this Saturday morning.