Thursday started out cold and dry for the first few hours then light snow (estimated at 0.5″, water equivalent of .03″) started and fell for a few hours, as the temperature fell through most of the 20s and with increasing winds from the big storm offshore, wind chill temps really plummeted. We were just brushed by the storm here, but over in Ocean City MD on the ocean, blizzard warnings were in effect and they got about a foot of windblown, heavy snow for most of the day. Our snow wound down to occasional snow flurries by mid-morning, and a dim sum came out by late morning, interspersed by continued sporadic flurries. Temps really plunged most of the day, and was in the low teens by midnight. with wind chill temps well below zero at times. Clear skies predominated by evening, and during the overnight. The Thursday minimum temperature from the VP2 (13.4°) was recorded at 2351 while the maximum temperature (27.3°) was recorded at 0000. The PM Max temp was 24.9° at 1410. Dew point temperatures ranged from 20° at 0113 down to -1° at 2247. Relative humidity values rose from yesterday’s values (90% – 51%). Barometric values lowered throughout the day, from an early morning high of 29.98″ at 0000 down to 29.67″ at 1321 for a modest lowest pressure for the storm.

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 watched most of the “heavier” snow in the early morning hours, watching downward dew point changes and temperature and upward relative humidity values. I crashed till mid-afternoon, and started to check out the snow, which had blown and drifted to the limits of the light amounts received. I got a snowfall measurement and water equivalent determined for the storm finally in the evening, and with drifting and blowing around of the light, powdery snow it was a difficult small amount to measure accurately. 

We have sunny skies now with temps around 11° and dew points below zero. Current picture out my balcony taken at 0815 EST is being displayed as the feature image of this blog post. You might notice that the roadway is quite white- that is salt not snow or ice. And also one flagpole has fallen down again (sans flag). A testimonial to the strong winds over the past 30 hours. 

Later on Friday will be even colder than Thursday, with highs in the mid-upper teens, lows around 5° under sunny/clear, windy conditions with dangerous wind chill temperatures. On Saturday the peak of the cold air will be over us with slowly-lessening winds, highs in the upper teens and lows around 4° under sunny/clear skies. Sunday should be mostly sunny and not as cold, with highs in the mid 20s and lows in the upper teens. Monday should start out cloudy with a major warmup beginning, as temps rise above the freezing mark for the first time in 2018 and first time since December 26th. Rain showers are expected to start falling sometime in the PM hours with high temps in the upper mid 30s, lows holding around the freezing mark Monday evening. Look for a continued warm up for most of the next week with highs in the mid 40s and lows in the upper low 20s under sunny skies on Tuesday.

On the Channel 4 weather website at 0842 radar is showing clear returns within the five state mid-Atlantic region.

As of 0842, 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 :

Sunny and cold.

Station Relative Location Temp RH DP    BP     Wind High/Low temp Wednesday
VP2             Ground         11.2 54 – 3 30.12R   NA      27.3/13.4

There was 0.5″ of snow (estimated due to blowing and drifting of the fluffy snow) with 0.03″ melted in the cocorahs gauge on Thursday. The VP2 tipping bucket rain gauge under my balcony recorded no precipitation on Thursday through midnight. I have a good half inch in most spots in my immediate area. Roads and sidewalks are mostly clear.

January precipitation is 0.03″.

January snowfall is 0.5″.
The seasonal snowfall total is 4.3″.

Year-to-date precipitation total is 0.03″

WX Bug Lakewood 4500 ft, 10 52 – 4 30.03R W 10 G NNW 20
                            140° from station                    27/11

The Lakewood rain gauge showed no precipitation on Thursday, and no snow melted through. It is mysteriously reporting 0.17″ monthly and yearly for January 2018 precipitation at the present time. I have no idea where that 0.17″ came from, 0.00″ was reported yesterday.

Temp from the VP2 at 2400 was 13.4 RH 52% BP 29.94R DP – 1. Clear, cold and still windy at 2400.

Good morning from the sunny, cold, and snowy Walrus early on this Friday morning.