Friday cleared up the skies from yesterday’s storm, but the cold air came back in with the coldest ever max temps in my short history here at my current location. The meager snow cover had no real chance to melt even out in the sun, but the wind did redistribute the remaining snow around. I had my first max temp ever in the teens. The Friday minimum temperature from the VP2 (10.1°) was recorded at 0731 while the maximum temperature (16.8°) was recorded at 1401. For the first time ever my dew point temperatures remained below zero the entire day. They ranged from -1 ° at 0000 down to -4° at 0950. Relative humidity values lowered from yesterday’s values (58% – 42%). Barometric values rose from yesterday, from an early morning low of 29.94″ at 0016 up to 30.32″ at 2356.

Shown as the featured image of the day is a picture I took Friday morning of my snow stake and some of the snowy grassy areas, and to show one of two flagpoles on the ground, second time this winter this has happened, due to the winds this week sometime. I plan on ordering binoculars very soon so I can actually read the numbers off of the snow stake to give me an idea on how much snow I have out there.

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 spoke with Marty just prior to Friday evening’s grocery delivery, about mutual weather observing problems this past week due to difficulties to collect data due to the extreme cold and wind we have been experiencing.  I worked a bit on my Mountain ID quizzes, and spoke to Bob Leffler about it, along with an email from the Rocketman who detailed greatly on several historic Himalayan climbs over the past century. 

We have clear skies now with temps in the upper single digits with dew points remaining well below zero. 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 turn 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. High temps should be in the upper 30s, lows holding around 30° Monday evening. Look for a continued warm up for most of the next week with highs in the mid-upper 40s and lows in the mid 20s under mostly sunny skies on Tuesday.

On the Channel 4 weather website at 0635 radar is showing clear returns within the Eastern U.S.

As of 0635, 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 :

Clear and very cold.

Station Relative Location Temp RH  DP    BP     Wind  High/Low temp Friday
VP2           Ground           8.8   55  – 4 30.41R    NA    16.8/10.1

There was no new snow or anything melted in the cocorahs gauge on Friday. The VP2 tipping bucket rain gauge under my balcony recorded no precipitation on Friday through midnight. I have a good half inch in most spots in my immediate area. Roads and sidewalks have been swept and/or blown 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, 5 53 – 8 30.29R NW 3 G W 21
                            140° from station                    16/7

The Lakewood rain gauge showed no precipitation on Friday, and no snow melted through. It is mysteriously reporting now 0.20″ monthly and yearly January 2018 precipitation at the present time. I have no idea where that additional 0.03″ came from compared to yesterday’s 0.17″, 0.00″ (new) was reported both yesterday and today.

Temp from the VP2 at 2400 was 11.9 RH 54% BP 30.31R DP – 1.6. Clear, cold and still a bit windy at 2400.

Good morning from the clear, cold, and somewhat snowy Walrus early on this Saturday morning.