Wednesday started out with an altostratus overcast into the late AM, then turned mostly sunny and milder, as we start a warming week, culiminating at the end of the week with 80° temps. The Wednesday maximum temperature from the VP2 (55.9°) was recorded at 1753 while the Wednesday minimum temperature (37.0°) was recorded at 0122. Dew point temperatures were about the same as yesterday, ranging from a low of 23° at 0000 up to a high of 33° much later at 2324. Relative humidity values lowered today (63% – 38%) . Barometric values followed different patterns again today, ranging from a high of 30.24″ early at 0124 down to a low of 30.08″ later at 1839.

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.

Overnight Wednesday into Thursday skies clouded up overnight once again with an altostratus overcast that has continued through mid-morning Thursday, associated with a warm front moving west to east. Temps lowered only to the mid 40s, as the warmer air started to work its way in, under slowly increasing SW winds. Partly cloudy (AM Clouds/PM Sun) and warmer on Thursday with highs in the low-mid 70s and lows in the mid 50s. Friday the 13th (and also Saturday) should be partly cloudy and even warmer, with highs around 80° and lows in the upper 50s. Sunday should cloud up and cool off into mid 70s highs, low 50s lows, and a 50% POP for rain showers. Morning rain (90 POP) and cloudy on Monday and cooler, with highs only in the mid 50s and lows in the mid-upper 30s.

On the channel 4 weather radar website at 1014 shows light rain over central VA and northern MD, just to my west and NW, with heavier rain returns over southern PA at this time. Officially there is no real mention of rain in our forecast for today, but current radar looks otherwise. This cloud shield and rain is oriented N-S, and is associated with a warm front trying to move through the area.

As of 1014, 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:

Medium altostratus overcast, milder, still dry but that may change real soon.

Station Relative Location Temp  RH   DP     BP    Wind High/Low temp Wednesday
VP2            Ground         55.2° 58% 40° 30.16″R NA    55.9/37.0

The total precipitation in the cocorahs gauge was 0.00″ through midnight Wednesday. The VP2 tipping bucket rain gauge under my balcony recorded 0.00″ through midnight Wednesday.

Wednesday’s precipitation was 0.00″
April precipitation 0.17″
Wednesday’s snowfall was 0.0″
April snowfall 0.0″
Snow on ground 0 (reported to the nearest half-inch)
The seasonal snowfall total is 12.0″.
Year-to-date precipitation total is 8.34″

WX Bug Lakewood 4500 ft, 54 50 36 30.14″R WSW 3 G SW 11
                            140° from station                   51/36 (est)
The Lakewood rain gauge recorded 0.00″ of precipitation on Wednesday. It is reporting a total of 0.43″ of precipitation for April and a 2018 year-to-date (YTD) amount of 11.30″. I think the great disparity between the Lakewood WX Bug station precipitation amount total for the month and year and my cocorahs gauge based data is that Lakewood precip values are estimated/adjusted from radar.

At 2400 obs Monday night the temperature from the VP2 was 47.9 RH 57% BP 30.11″S DP 33.4
PCldy, milder, dry at 2400

Good morning from the cloudy, mild, but dry for the time being home of the snowless walrus on this Thursday. Ceiling has lowered at nearby Montgomery County Airpark from above 12,000 ft at 1256z to 6500 ft an hour later at 1356z.