Friday was cloudy, breezy and wet (0.90″), mostly from evening rains (3.24″/hour max rain rate (MRR) at 2003), with a very mild, humid southerly flow driving high temps into the mid 60s and dew points well above 60° for a good part of the day and especially evening. The very warm Friday minimum temperature from the VP2 (56.2°) was recorded early at 0000 while the maximum temperature (66.5°) was recorded at 1519. My dew point temperatures really rose more today, ranging from 55° at 0000 up to 65° at 1253. Relative humidity values stayed very high all day (98% – 92%). Barometric values fell significantly all day, from a morning high of 30.10″ at 0000 down to 29.44″ at 2353.

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 remember that Weather Underground does not report snow data, and reflects what is recorded automatically through the tipping bucket VP2 gauge.

I got new binoculars through Amazon, to be used for more refined weather observations and viewing birds out my balcony, including the reading of my snow stake (blurry blue image just above the binoculars in distance in image below) during and after snow occurrences. (see featured image and also image below please). 

 I then talked with Marty and Ray about the current stormy conditions and Ray’s weather legacy.  I had a very wet trek out to my rain gauge at the midnight hour, keeping relatively dry with the use of my new rain jacket. 

We have cloudy skies now early on this Saturday morning with the balmy temps of yesterday and very early this AM being replaced with below freezing temps now (around 30°) that continue to drop. I have had an additional 0.62″ of rainfall since midnight according to my unofficial VP2 tipping bucket rain gauge. Partly cloudy later on Saturday with afternoon highs in the low 30s and sunny with highs in the upper 20s on Sunday; lows in the mid teens both nights. Monday should also be sunny and cold, with highs in the low 30s and lows in the low 20s. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with highs in the mid 30s, lows in the mid-upper teens, then colder again on Wednesday, with highs in the upper 20s and lows in the mid teens, and a 40 POP for PM snow showers. Indeed winter will be returning to the region after a brief warm hiatus the past few days.

On the Channel 4 weather website at 1027 radar is showing extensive snow shower activity in the mountains to my west and north, through N and W Maryland, and areas of snow in parts of WV, PA, NY and New England. Our earlier rain has now moved SE over parts of VA and NC moving away from my area.

As of 1027, 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:

Cloudy, breezy and colder this morning with earlier light snow/sleet showers falling but not now. Overnight the barometric pressure bottomed out at 29.38″ at 1244 EST. It has been rising ever since, rapidly at times.

Station Relative Location Temp RH DP    BP     Wind High/Low temp Friday
VP2           Ground          30.5  71 22  30.03R   NA      66.5/56.2

There was 0.90″ of precipitation in the cocorahs gauge on Friday. The VP2 tipping bucket rain gauge under my balcony seriously under-reported 0.29″ of precipitation on Friday through midnight but has reported 0.62″ since midnight up to the present time. I had a max rain rate of 3.24″/hour at 2003 on Friday.

January precipitation is 1.00″.
January snowfall is 0.5″.
Snow on ground 0
The seasonal snowfall total is 4.3″.

Year-to-date precipitation total is 1.00″

WX Bug Lakewood 4500 ft, 29 80 24 29.91″R WNW 11 G NW 23
                            140° from station                            68/57

The Lakewood rain gauge recorded only 0.19″ of precipitation on Friday. So far today it has recorded an additional 0.09″ of rain. It is now reporting 0.55″ monthly and yearly January 2018 precipitation. I still have no idea how it can total that much precipitation for the month/year.

Temp from the VP2 at 2400 was 59.9 RH 98% BP 29.44F DP 59.3. Cloud, very mild with moderate rain at 2400.

Good morning from the cloudy, now colder, blustery Walrus early on this Saturday morning.