The last day of the year was the coldest day of the year! Sunny, really brisk temps that remained in the teens all day. With the cold we are keeping our 0.5″ snowpack in most locations. Another dim sum day at times not letting much of the sun’s energy to warm the ground a whole lot. The Sunday minimum temperature from the VP2 (13.1°) was recorded at 2355 while the maximum temperature (19.8°) was recorded just about 24 hours earlier at 0000. The PM Max was 19.6° at 1303, while the AM Min was 14.9° at 0745. Dew point temperatures ranged from 8° at 0001 down to 3° at 1317. Relative humidity values lowered from yesterday’s values (70% – 50%). Barometric values started to rise once again, from a morning min of 30.24″ at 0001 up to 30.47″ much later at 2320.

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 was up in the mid afternoon for a shower and organizing for our pot luck dinner at 1800. My crockpot stroganoff cooked overnight, and smelled wonderful. My friend MaryE helped me organize carrying over the very warm crockpot to the party room of Building A next door. We all had a great time, with lots of delicious food, lively conversation and holiday frivolity. My stroganoff went over well, and several asked me for the recipe. I learned a new (to me) rummy card game after dinner, and actually won the 7 hand game – beginners luck so they say! I spoke with Ray a few times briefly when I had the chance to talk, and very briefly with Marty. To celebrate New Years I had our long-time traditional phone call from Rocketman out in Colorado. We always talk music, weather, the environment (his weekly hikes and cross country ski trips there in the Rockies) and sports – we went to Wisconsin together back in the late 1960s/early 1970s.

We have sunny skies now and cold with temps in the mid teens. The low temperature so far on Jan 1 is 8.7°. New Years Day will be mostly sunny and cold once again, with highs in the low 20s and lows in the upper single digits. Tuesday should be sunny and a few degrees less cold than Monday, then Wednesday cloudy with highs in the low 30s and lows in the upper teens. There is a potential storm that may run up the East Coast that if it tracks a bit further west than thought of right now that bears watching. Thursday another arctic outbreak follows the storm, with highs in the mid 20s under partly cloudy, windy skies, lows down around 5°. Friday should be even colder, with highs in the mid-upper teens, lows heading down around 0° under partly cloudy, windy conditions with dangerous wind chill temperatures.

On the Channel 4 weather website at 1115 radar is showing a clear screen through the Eastern US north of Florida. Florida is getting some rain along a stalled frontal boundary.

As of 1115, 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 :

Station Relative Location Temp   RH  DP    BP     Wind  High/Low temp Sunday
VP2            Ground             18.9    59   7  30.55S   NA      19.8/13.1

There was no accumulation of snow in the cocorahs gauge on Sunday. The VP2 tipping bucket rain gauge under my balcony recorded no precipitation on Sunday through midnight, as snow has not been able to melt at all due to the cold, below freezing temps.

December precipitation totalled out at 0.85″ through midnight obs Sunday, the close of the December record.

December snowfall was 3.8″. The seasonal snowfall total is 3.8″.

Year-to-date precipitation total is final at 39.36″

WX Bug Lakewood 4500 ft, 17 60 6 30.48S W 3 G NW 13
                              140° from station                    20/12 (estimated)

The Lakewood rain gauge/WX station is back online. There was no precipitation on Sunday recorded, and no snow melted through. It reported 0.03″ of precipitation through midnight on Saturday. It is now reporting 1.30″ for the month and 40.64″ for the year. It does not report any snow data, unfortunately.

Temp from the VP2 at 2400 was 13.1 RH 70% BP 30.46R DP 5.1. Clear, cold and dry to ring in the new year.

Good morning from the clear, cold, and still somewhat snowy Walrus early on this New Years Day Monday morning. Most of my 0.5″ snow accumulation from early Saturday is still around, though the sidewalks and roadways are mostly cleared off courtesy of Saturday’s and Sunday’s afternoon sun. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!