Wednesday, the first full day of spring, featured unspring-like weather with cloudy skies, even colder temperatures, and sleet and mostly snow most of the day (0.32″) that adversely affected many in the area, with closed schools and even the federal government, treacherous roads in places, and associated other travel problems. Temperatures remained at or just below the freezing mark all day. The Wednesday maximum temperature from the VP2 (33.1°) was recorded at 1751 while the minimum temperature (29.8°) was recorded at 0205. Dew point temperatures didn’t vary much at all similar to yesterday, ranging from a low of 28° at 0123 up to a high of 32° later at 1700. Relative humidity values predictably raised some more today (95% – 88%). Barometric values lowered some more than yesterday, ranging from an early low of 29.65″ at 0604 up to a high of 29.88″ much later at 2351.

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. The web address for my data on weather underground is: https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KMDrockv200#history/ I contribute daily to cocorahs as Rockville 2.8 WNW, Station ID MD-MG-115 on https://www.cocorahs.org/ Please remember that Weather Underground does not report snow data, and reflects what is recorded automatically through the tipping bucket VP2 gauge. I use the data I post to cocorahs as my “official” precipitation total each day.

I was up a bit later on Wednesday by early afternoon to observe and record the snowy day with my eyes, my phone camera and my weather instruments. I talked at length with Ray about the storm and conditions, and Marty about it more briefly.  I took one GLOBE observation out of this afternoon’s overcast around 1500 during 2 satellite flyovers within 5 minutes of each other, but once again with most clouds “obscured” from low clouds of fog and precipitation, there wasn’t much detail to report, though I did post my usual 5 pictures. I also took a few other pictures of the snowy landscape, one of which is today’s featured image. 

I continue to battle with the problem of sending out email through gmail and verizon through Thunderbird, as the outgoing SMTP mail server keeps timing out. Rebooting (warm or cold) keeps working as the only solution. 

Snow fell heaviest for a few hours in the morning, when I was asleep of course. Temperatures did not change much all day, remaining in the low 30s most of the day. Overnight Wednesday into Thursday clouds lifted and gradually cleared out with only high thin cirrus left now just after sunrise. Temperatures remained steady all night around 30°. The VP2 rain gauge still remains frozen, but I should see all of it gradually melt through on Thursday in the warmer March sun. I went out to my gauge after midnight in cloudy but dry skies and traded out my cocorahs outer cylinders, and brought the Wednesday “catch” in to melt it and measure it (0.32″). Originally forecasted amounts of total snow of 8-12 inches were “over-estimated” at my location. Mostly sunny skies are expected both Thursday and Friday and partly cloudy skies on Saturday and Sunday with highs in the mid 40s and lows in the mid 20s. Melting of our “snow pack” will be pretty rapid in the strong March sun and well above freezing max temps during the day. Freezing up at night will occur but there won’t be any snow left to freeze up by the weekend.

On the Channel 4 weather website at 0947 radar is showing clear over the 4 state mid-Atlantic region. Closest returns are found in coastal sections of New England with the departing snowstorm we had on Wednesday.

As of 0947, 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:

Mostly sunny (high cirrus and cirrostratus scattered about), cold, snow nicely coating the ground

Station Relative Location Temp RH DP   BP      Wind High/Low temp Wednesday
VP2          Ground           34.1  73 26 30.03″R   NA    33.1/29.8

The total (melted) precipitation in the cocorahs gauge was 0.32″ through midnight Wednesday. The VP2 tipping bucket rain gauge under my balcony is still frozen up and has not been recording precipitation since late afternoon on Tuesday. The tipping bucket has not recorded any further precipitation since midnight up through the current time.

Wednesday’s precipitation was 0.32″
Two-day storm total 1.01″
March precipitation is 1.45″.
Wednesday’s snowfall 3.4″
March snowfall 4.5″
Snow on ground 4″ (reported to the nearest half-inch)
The seasonal snowfall total is 12.0″.
Year-to-date precipitation total is 8.08″

WX Bug Lakewood 4500 ft, 33 72 23 29.99″R N 2 G WNW 15
                            140° from station                 32/27
The Lakewood rain gauge recorded 0.07″ of precipitation on Wednesday. It is now reporting a total of 2.07″ of precipitation so far in March and a 2018 year-to-date (YTD) amount of 9.57″.

At 2400 obs Wednesday night the temperature from the VP2 was 32.5 RH 94% BP 29.88″R DP 31.1.

Partly cloudy, cold, beautiful coating of snow on the ground, 4″ of snow on the ground as of 2400

Good morning from the sunny, cold, beautifully snowy home of the snowywalrus early on this Thursday. Some additional pictures of the snow from Wednesday: