On the start of Wednesday, we had cloudy skies with a bit of light snow (0.01″/0.1″ snow) in the first hour or so of the day. Slow clearing much of the rest of the daylight hours, still with some cloudy periods at times (see today’s featured image), but with the snow and low clouds moving off to the east and north during the afternoon. A clear, colder evening, with temps falling into the mid 30s after a low temp for the day right at midnight (low 30s). Mid 40s were reached mid-day before later cooling started to kick in. The Wednesday maximum temperature from the VP2 (45.8°) was recorded at 1502 while the minimum temperature (33.4°) was recorded right at midnight at 0000. Dew point temperatures climbed early but fell off some later on during the afternoon and evening, ranging from a high of 39° at 1318 down to a low of 26° late at 2321. Relative humidity values remained high most of the day (95% – 60%). Barometric values dropped further on Wednesday early but started to rebound late, ranging from a low of 29.69″ at 1321 up to a high of 29.89″ much later at 2250.

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.

We had early AM light snow and clouds on Wednesday, then slow clearing the rest of the day, clear in the evening and colder. Temperatures rebounded into the mid 40s in the early afternoon after a just above freezing start in the early AM. Temperatures started dropping off some into the mid 30s by the late evening. Overnight into Thursday morning clear skies and colder temps, as temps fell back below freezing by the early morning hours. Partly sunny and cold on Thursday, with highs in the low 40s and lows in the upper 20s. Partly cloudy and cold on Friday, with highs in the low-mid 40s and lows in the mid 20s. Sunny and a bit milder on Saturday, with highs in the upper 40s and lows in the mid-upper 20s. Sunday looks to have clouds returning, highs in the mid 40s and lows in the upper 20s. Monday should be cloudy and cold with high temps in the low-mid 40s and lows in the mid 20s with a 50 POP for AM snow showers. Right now there is a storm expected to move east out of the lower midwest, but the track is undetermined at the current time, which will be the critical factor for us getting snow, rain, or nothing.

On the Channel 4 weather website at 0816 radar is showing areas of scattered snow showers out in the mountains to my west and southwest over the states of WV, PA, SW VA, NC, OH, and western MD at this time. They might move in here later for a few conversational snowflakes for our area. Also the big snowstorm is still howling to my NE over sections of NY and New England, dumping feet of snow in many areas, and the heavy, wet snow causing numerous blocked roads, fallen trees, power outages that is really causing hardships to thousands of people in the Northeast.

As of 0816, 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, still relatively cold, with dew point temps having dropped into the upper teens.

Station Relative Location Temp RH DP    BP       Wind High/Low temp Wednesday
VP2             Ground         33.3 57  19 29.91R     NA     45.8/33.4
The total precipitation in the cocorahs gauge was 0.01″ through midnight Wednesday. There was 0.1″ accumulation of wet snow on grassy surfaces only and only very early in the AM – by sunrise it was all melted as temps warmed up into the mid 30s by sunrise. The VP2 tipping bucket rain gauge under my balcony had 0.05″ through midnight Wednesday, catching up some but not totally (2 day VP2 gauge total 0.13″, 2 day total cocorahs gauge 0.24″).

Wednesday’s precipitation was 0.01″
March precipitation is 0.44″.
Wednesday’s snowfall 0.1″
March snowfall now 0.3″
Snow on ground 0 (reported to the nearest half-inch)
The seasonal snowfall total is 7.8″.
Year-to-date precipitation total is 7.07″

WX Bug Lakewood 4500 ft, 31 55 17 29.88″R SW 3 G SW 10
                            140° from station                    44/30

The Lakewood rain gauge recorded 0.10″ of precipitation on Wednesday. Their two day total is 0.14″ It is now reporting a total of 0.84″ of precipitation so far in March and a 2018 year-to-date (YTD) amount of 8.35″. It is reporting an additional 0.01″ of precipitation since midnight, even though skies were totally clear throughout the time period since midnight.

At 2400 obs Wednesday night the temperature from the VP2 was 36.9 RH 64% BP 29.88″S DP 25.9. Clear, seasonably cold, dry, no snow on the ground with light winds.

Good morning from the sunny, cold, and drying out home of the Walrus early on this Thursday.