What's the Weather Where You are?

[terpguy]

25 June-

Fallston, Maryland

 

I will no longer be posting until further notice.

 

I'm trying to get my son moved to Pittsburgh this week, and now it turns out that I have contracted Lyme Disease....again.

 

First time:  1987...and nobody had a clue what it was.

 

Later...

[Scuddz]

Suitland, MD

8 March 2012

Mostly sunny and mild

58.4 degrees

35% chance of drive-by's

[MN Transplant]

Falls Church, VA

8 March 2012

60.3° @ 9:13am

SSE gusting to 18mph

Crocuses in full bloom, daffodils peaking out, snow drops probably past peak

[snowfan]

Suitland, MD

8 March 2012

Mostly sunny and mild

58.4 degrees

35% chance of drive-by's

Always fun to dodge them as you walk to subway for lunch.

[Isopycnic]

[TUweathermanDD]

Fallston, Maryland

39.5°N

@ 0815

43.0°F

30.05"R

Wind: light and NW

RH = 50%

Overcast

Precip

Trace last 24 (big rain didn't show...)

Today

Sunny, windy

High mid 50's

Forecast

Next chance of rainage, Monday night

Spring Thing

Back to some more seasonable temps for the weekend

Way to steal my -age! 46 in edgemere at sparrows point high.

[Kevin Druff]

Short Pump, VA

37.7°N

As of 1930

39.9°

Hi: 52.7°

Low: 31.9°

[Yeoman]

Long Thrust, VA

44

[Ian]

March is one sucky month

[WinterWxLuvr]

I'm not proud of it, but a thread like this could have gotten some ugly replies from me during our so called winter.

Weather here today was chilly but the march sun makes it feel warmer than it is. Looking forward to tomorrow.

[terpguy]

Fallston, Maryland

39.5°N

@ 1035 EDT

43.7°F

30.43"R

Wind: light and W

RH = 53%

Clear, bright sun

Precip

Zero last 24

Today

Sunny

High low 60's

Forecast

Rainage tomorrow night/Tuesday?

Spring Thing

More Daffs, More Croaks

[terpguy]

Update, 12 March

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for Monday, March 12, 2012

Monday started out warmer than Sunday with no frost and once again with the stronger March sun temperatures soared up to the 70 mark. Increasing clouds late afternoon

into the early evening resulted in a few light sprinkles that wasn't really measurable. We have a 70 POP for showers overnight, but they will be light if we get any at all. Looks impressive out in the mountains to my west, but downsloping as the air flow descends east of the Appalachian Mtns dries out the flow often and can really knock out those showers to nothing or next to nothing (like the sprinkles today). We will be warm up at or in the 70s most all week, with a 70 POP for showers Tuesday morning and a 30 POP for a possible thundershower on Tuesday afternoon. Low temps all week will be in the upper 40s to mid 50s range, quite a bit above normal for nighttime temperatures also. Sun should predominate on Wednesday and Thursday, then a 60 POP for showers on Friday with highs in the upper 60s then a 50 POP for showers on Friday night into Saturday as a front stalls out near our area and we don't really cool off much. We should start clearing off on Sunday with partly cloudy skies and highs once again in the upper 60s. Snow looks more and more like it won't be around till next season... Chances for snow are fading fast as time marches on towards an early spring.

Monday's precipitation: T (LR)

March total precipitation: 0.57"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 5.26"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Monday as follows :

High temp 70.3° (1643)

Low temp 36.6° (0752)

Obs temp tonight 63.6°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 83% (0829) to a low of 30% (1420)

Dew point ranged from 52° to 31°.

Peak Wind Gust 10 MPH from the NE (1300)

Pressures ranged from 30.41"(0000) to 30.14"(2351).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 63.6° and cloudy. Winds 1 MPH from the SW, barometer 30.14" and falliing, humidity 65% with a dew point of 52°.

Currently at 0224 EDT the temp is 62.7°, Cloudy, Winds 2 MPH from the SW, barometer 30.11" and falling, humidity 68% with a dew point of 52°.

The current radar is showing scattered light rain showers in the area, moving east, with very little action further out to the west out in the mountains.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Tuesday morning.

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Tuesday had an even warmer launch pad resulting in our warmest day of the year so far, topping the 80 mark for the first time this year. This is our first day of the spring with cooling degree days (4) and correspondingly (0) no heating degree days. We did have some cumulus buildups around, and even some thundershower action but not at my station. But I did get a few sprinkles in the afternoon. Attended an awesome meeting this evening at the World Weather Building in Camp Springs MD, about 45 miles from my house to the south. We got a tour of the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC) and Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) during the second part of the meeting. The first part consisted of a tag-team presentation on cocorahs from the founder (Nolan Doesken) and national coordinator (Henry Reges). They went over the history, how it started back in 1998, how it has developed, and what in involved in observer daily input, and how to access the data. Also covered are some of the many users/uses of the data. And much more. I took pictures, including one of the former winter weather experts for TWC, Paul Kocin, who now works at HPC, staffing the Alaska Forecast Desk among other desks. Please let me know if you would like to see some pictures of tonight's meeting. It is late already and though I have the pictures downloaded to my computer from my camera, it still takes some time to get them properly displayed here on the website. Anyway, the rest of the week looks warm, though it might be a tad cooler the rest of the week and stay in the 70s for highs, with 50-55 for lows. No rain till Friday, then a 50 POP for showers and possibly thundershowers and high temps in the upper 60s. Another tad cooler over the weekend than it has been most of this week, with highs in the mid-upper 60s and lows in the 40s. At this point it looks like the weekend will mostly be dry. We are in a dry pattern and there doesn't look like anything monumental out there to change that basic pattern, unfortunately. We need some rain for the spring planting season, just about upon us with our early spring weather. More like May today actually!

Tuesday's precipitation: T (LR)

March total precipitation: 0.57"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 5.26"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Tuesday as follows :

High temp 80.8° (1611)

Low temp 57.4° (0818)

Obs temp tonight 61.0°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 82% (0820) to a low of 34% (1711)

Dew point ranged from 57° to 48°.

Peak Wind Gust 13 MPH from the SE (1439)

Pressures ranged from 30.14"(0000) to 29.98"(1726).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 61.0° and partly cloudy. Winds Calm, barometer 30.07" and rising, humidity 64% with a dew point of 49°.

Currently at 0236 EDT the temp is 56.8°, Partly cloudy, Winds Calm, barometer 30.09" and rising, humidity 73% with a dew point of 48°.

The current radar is showing just a small patch of diminishing rain showers on/off the coast of southern Maine. Got a report from the Boston area describing earlier action of thunderstorms and power outages, not sure if that was a weather caused outage or not.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Wednesday morning.

[Yeoman]

My nuts are sweaty.. must be hot

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Wednesday was another warm one, but not quite as warm as yesterday, and we had neither heating degree days or cooling degree days today since the mean temperature for the day was exactly 65, which is the base temperature used to detemine how many degree days you have in a day. Sunny skies, also a bit cooler overnight. Drier dew points also. Thursday should get warmer again, with highs in the low to possibly mid 80s, with a 40 POP for showers and storms late, turning into a 60 POP for showers and storms on Friday and Friday night and highs back down into the 70s. A bit cooler but sunny on Saturday, highs in the 60s. Warming up again on Sunday into the low 70s, and next week looks like this above normal warmth should continue. Bulbs and blossoms are starting to really pop around here, and cherry blossoms appear to be a few weeks ahead of time and should be coming out within the next week to 10 days.

Tuesday's precipitation: 0

March total precipitation: 0.57"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 5.26"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Wednesday as follows :

High temp 78.9° (1606)

Low temp 51.4° (0806)

Obs temp tonight 56.6°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 88% (0840) to a low of 26% (1345)

Dew point ranged from 51° to 36°.

Peak Wind Gust 13 MPH from the N (1128)

Pressures ranged from 30.22"(1211) to 30.06"(0010).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 56.6° and clear. Winds Calm, barometer 30.20" and rising, humidity 69% with a dew point of 46°.

Currently at 0221 EDT the temp is 55.1°, Clear, Winds Calm, barometer 30.20" and steady, humidity 72% with a dew point of 46°.

The current radar is showing some scattered light showers over small areas of western OH, IN, and MI. Also snow is falling over parts of Maine, most notably over eastern Maine up to the far northern part of the state, with close to a foot of snow possible in that area.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Thursday morning.

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for Thursday, March 15, 2012

Thursday warmed up some more, with my 83 high enough to set a daily record for my station, just eclipsing the old record of 82 set back in the famous early season heat wave of 1990. A back door cold front approached the area late in the day, and light easterly winds and a drop in the temperature starting in the late afternoon and really developing this evening resulted. Temps will rebound somewhat on Friday, but with clouds around and a 60 POP for showers and thunderstorms mid 70s will be all we can muster. But mid 70s looks to be the norm for high temps after Friday through the middle of next week, except for cooler highs in the 60s on Sunday. And after Friday's precipitation passes late in the day, we look to stay dry and mostly sunny thereafter through Wednesday (at least). Warm, but not record breaking as it looks now for the next week. Blossoms keep popping out all over now with this warmth, and grass is starting to green up and grow already.

Thursday's precipitation: 0

March total precipitation: 0.57"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 5.26"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Thursday as follows :

High temp 82.9° (1443)

Low temp 47.8° (0745)

Obs temp tonight 57.6°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 88% (0834) to a low of 27% (1429)

Dew point ranged from 55° to 44°.

Peak Wind Gust 15 MPH from the E (1646)

Pressures ranged from 30.22"(0917) to 30.11"(1715).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 57.6° and cloudy. Winds 2 MPH from the E, barometer 30.19" and rising, humidity 77% with a dew point of 50°.

Currently at 0237 EDT the temp is 52.1°, Cloudy, Winds 3 MPH from the NE, barometer 30.18" and steady, humidity 87% with a dew point of 49°.

The current radar is showing showers out in SW PA near Pittsburgh, also showers in eastern OH, parts of KY, southern IL, southern IN, and MO, heading east.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Friday morning.

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for Friday, March 16 2012

Friday stayed cool from Thursday's backdoor cold front which was not expected to happen - we were supposed to be warmer with more sun today. Also with the cool 60s, low clouds and fog, the expected thunderstorms and showers did not develop. Patch fog, some areas dense, is developing again tonight. Expected to burn off on Saturday and a rise in temps into the mid 70s is once again expected to happen. We missed our chances at rain, and now the next several days look to be dry. We need the rain! Temps cooling off on Sunday in the 60s, but thereafter high temps are expected to be in the low-mid 70s well into next week. No sign of any cold air coming in here at all. Low temps will mostly be in the upper 40s to low-mid 50s.

Friday's precipitation: 0

March total precipitation: 0.57"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 5.26"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Friday as follows :

High temp 63.9° (1556)

Low temp 50.4° (0627)

Obs temp tonight 53.9°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 92% (2323) to a low of 71% (1612)

Dew point ranged from 55° to 48°.

Peak Wind Gust 12 MPH from the NE (0116)

Pressures ranged from 30.21"(0655) to 30.15"(1751).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 53.9° and cloudy. Winds Calm, barometer 30.20" and rising, humidity 92% with a dew point of 52°.

Currently at 0407 EDT the temp is 50.0°, Cloudy, Winds Calm, barometer 30.20" and steady, humidity 94% with a dew point of 48°.

The current radar is showing light, scattered showers in sections of coastal NC, and west from there in sections of GA, AL, and MS.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Saturday morning.

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for St Patrick's Day, Saturday, March 17, 2012

Saturday warmed up as the backdoor cold front meandered to the east and we picked up some warmer temps with more sun, very sunny most of the day in fact. Nothing to break any records, but well above normal which has been the norm in recent days. Patchy dense fog may form in some areas overnight, and persist into the later morning areas in selected locations. No dense fog here as yet but our air temp is getting close to the dew pt temp. A decent flow of wind in the 3-5 MPH range from the east may be keeping the fog at bay for the time being. Sunday and for the coming week we look for cloudy to partly cloudy skies but with no rain to speak of during the period with high temps in the 70-75 range for high temps and lows from 45-55. Well above normal temperatures for the foreseeable future with no colder air invasions from the north imminent or in the near future either.

Saturday's precipitation: 0

March total precipitation: 0.57"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 5.26"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Saturday as follows :

High temp 75.2° (1619)

Low temp 47.0° (0731)

Obs temp tonight 59.5°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 98% (0923) to a low of 53% (1730)

Dew point ranged from 59° to 46°.

Peak Wind Gust 11 MPH from the E (2035)

Pressures ranged from 30.32"(2324) to 30.20"(0038).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 59.5° and clear. Winds 3 MPH from the E, barometer 30.32" and rising, humidity 83% with a dew point of 54°.

Currently at 0445 EDT the temp is 53.5°, Cloudy, Winds 1 MPH from the E, barometer 30.33" and steady, humidity 92% with a dew point of 51°.

The current radar is showing scattered showers in sections of the lower midwest, one more concentrated cluster over parts of NE TN and SE KY, another over central IL, with other areas in OH, IN, SW VA, and NC also showing scattered light areas of precipitation.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Sunday morning.

[snownut]

Weather where I am is nice rain and summer like storms in the area.

58.5 after high of 68.5 and .31 in the bucket

Imagining myself posting from here....

Looks like good 10' snow pack (keep in mind a 15 minute live feed) http://www.craterlakelodges.com/press-room-247056252-818_1394.html

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sunday cooled down as the backdoor cold front meandered back west a bit, though skies cleared most of the afternoon after some morning clouds and a bit of fog. Dew points remained at or above 50, which is getting pretty high for this time of year. Late tonight there is a MCS (large thunderstorm complex) coming SE out of OH and cutting through West Virginia and western MD overnight, and may give us some light showers by sunrise, if it doesn't dry up totally between now and sunrise. Officially we have a 50 POP for showers/storms on Monday, highs in the 70s. Cloudy on Tuesday and Wednesday, highs around 70, then sunny and a bit warmer on Thursday and Friday with highs in the mid-upper 70s, then a bit cooler with chances of showers increasing on Saturday, with highs in the upper 60s to around 70.

Sunday's precipitation: 0

March total precipitation: 0.57"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 5.26"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Sunday as follows :

High temp 67.8° (1735)

Low temp 51.9° (0730)

Obs temp tonight 58.7°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 95% (0718) to a low of 66% (1644)

Dew point ranged from 56° to 50°.

Peak Wind Gust 9 MPH from the E (1056)

Pressures ranged from 30.38"(1004) to 30.22"(2003).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 58.7° and cloudy. Winds Calm, barometer 30.23" and steady, humidity 86% with a dew point of 55°.

Currently at 0206 EDT the temp is 56.0°, Cloudy, Winds Calm, barometer 30.21" and steady, humidity 90% with a dew point of 53°.

The current radar is showing the MCS mentioned above concentrated in central WV right now, and heading SE looks to miss my immediate area to the south, if it stays together as it travels over the mountains. Scattered lighter showers are falling further north that probably will only result in possible sprinkles in our area by sunrise.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Monday morning.

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for Monday, March 19, 2012

Monday warmed up again as our yoyo pattern of temperatures - from above to much above normal - continues. Dew points creeped up into muggy levels (for March) as fog formed a bit once again. Sunny early, then increasing clouds in the P.M. with light rain showers breaking out just prior to obs tonight, continuing into the early morning hours with thunder heard at 0142 EDT. Showers are in the area, and are small in area but slow to move. Have remained light so far, only very small concentrated area of heavier precip in the area that I may or may not get. It should remain cloudy on Tuesday with a 20 POP for showers and isolated thundershowers and highs in the low 70s. Partly cloudy Wednesday and drying out some, highs in the low to mid 70s. Upper 70s and sunny on Thursday and Friday, then cooling off for the weekend with increasing chances of showers (50 POP by late Friday, 60 POP on Saturday at this point) - temps mostly in the 60s with lows in the 40s after some muggy nights during the week with lows in the 50s. Eventually drying out and becoming sunny by Monday with highs in the 60s.

Monday's precipitation: 0.03" (LR and VP2) Max Rain Rater 0.08" @ 2355

March total precipitation: 0.60"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 5.29"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Monday as follows :

High temp 75.5° (1523)

Low temp 54.5° (0732)

Obs temp tonight 63.5°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 94% (0432) to a low of 57% (1526)

Dew point ranged from 61° to 52°.

Peak Wind Gust 9 MPH from the SE (1813)

Pressures ranged from 30.24"(0005) to 30.13"(1806).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 63.5° and cloudy with light rain. Winds Calm, barometer 30.20" and rising, humidity 89% with a dew point of 60°.

Currently at 0226 EDT the temp is 61.9°, Cloudy/light rain, Winds 2 MPH from the N, barometer 30.20" and steady, humidity 95% with a dew point of 61°. So far 0.33" of rain has fallen (VP2) since midnight, with a Max Rain Rate of 4.30" at 0218.

The current radar is showing rain showers in the area, slowly moving E.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Tuesday morning.

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Tuesday started out during its first few hours with rain showers that peaked into pretty heavy (but brief) showers just after 2 AM. One clap of thunder at 0148. Other spots north of me got hit harder with close to an inch, and a mountain location (Catoctin Mtn Park) in northern Frederick County got over 2 inches of rain out of the overnight storm. Fog formed later from the moisture left over and the high dew points, burning off by late morning but staying pretty cloudy and muggy the rest of the day but with no more rain. Tonight more clouds (low stratus mostly) with the potential of more fog formation towards sunrise. Showers/storms formed again late in the afternoon/evening, but formed further south, and moved south and east and missed our area by a good distance. Tomorrow and Thursday should find partly cloudy skies with temps in the mid-upper 70s with lows in the 50s. Friday should be sunny with highs around 80 if not perhaps even warmer than that. Over the weekend it looks like a storm system will get close enough and move slow enough to give us a 50 POP for showers and storms most of Saturday and Sunday, with gradual cooling off of temps. As we start the next week, we should clear out and be sunny, with highs in the cooler 60s and lows in the 40s. (still above normal for this time of year).

Tuesday's precipitation: 0.35" (LR) 0.36"(VP2) Max Rain Rate 4.30"/hr @ 0218

March total precipitation: 0.95"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 5.64"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Tuesday as follows :

High temp 73.6° (1601)

Low temp 58.7° (2359)

Obs temp tonight 58.7°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 98% (0840) to a low of 66% (1559)

Dew point ranged from 63° to 57°.

Peak Wind Gust 10 MPH from the NE (1413)

Pressures ranged from 30.28"(2331) to 30.19"(0331).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 58.7° and clear. Winds Calm, barometer 30.28" and rising, humidity 93% with a dew point of 57°.

Currently at 0220 EDT the temp is 56.7°, Clear, Winds Calm, barometer 30.29" and rising, humidity 94% with a dew point of 55°.

The current radar is showing light showers over east-central and southeast VA, heading away from this area, to the south and east.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Wednesday morning.

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryand VP2 backyard report for Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Wednesday, on the first full day of spring, conditions started out with low stratus clouds with a bit of fog and light drizzle that I experienced on my way to the office. Clouds remained most of the day, and helped to hold our high temps down in the 60s all day, a bit below the 70s that were predicted, based on expected great sunlight during the afternoon that didn't happen till late afternoon. More clouds again tonight, muggy, and as air temp and dew pt come closer and closer, fog may start forming again in selected spots. Thursday we should see more sun that should get us into the 70s by the afternoon. Lows in the 50s. Friday the sun should really get us cooking, with high temps into the low 80s. Over the weekend a slow moving storm out of the lower midwest should finally start to influence our weather and a 50-70 POP for rain should predominate for most of Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures gradually falling off into the upper 50s for highs by Sunday. We may get a few inches of rain over the entire 2-day period. Next week should be cooler with highs around 60-65 and low temps 40-45. Still above normal but not by the amounts we have been having. Skies should clear and we should have some pretty sunny, clear days, with much lower dew point temperatures.

Wednesday's precipitation: T (LR) 0.00"(VP2)

March total precipitation: 0.95"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 5.64"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Wednesday as follows :

High temp 66.3° (1754)

Low temp 56.7° (0208)

Obs temp tonight 59.3°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 98% (0845) to a low of 81% (1742)

Dew point ranged from 61° to 55°.

Peak Wind Gust 7 MPH from the NE (0524)

Pressures ranged from 30.36"(1051) to 30.26"(1810).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 59.3° and cldy. Winds Calm, barometer 30.29" and steady, humidity 94% with a dew point of 58°.

Currently at 0200 EDT the temp is 58.5°, Cldy, Winds Calm, barometer 30.27" and falling, humidity 95% with a dew point of 57°.

The current radar is showing diminishing widely scattered light showers over portions of central VA, heading south and away from this area.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Thursday morning.

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for Thursday, March 22, 2012

Thursday started out rather different. My office building had a small electrical fire that caused a total building closure, so I had an unscheduled day off. Other than taking my daughter Robin to breakfast at IHOP in the morning and running a few errands for her to my wife's school, I just came back and worked on the computer after filling the car up on gas. At this moment early Friday morning we still don't know if the building repairs will be made in time for us to go to work on Friday. Clouds and some fog in the morning eventually burned off and we had a sunny, warm afternoon with temps soaring up through the 70s almost to 80. Tonight is another damp one with clear skies and possible fog formation by sunrise. Sunny and warm on Friday, with high temps in the low 80s. A 50 POP for developing showers on Friday night will lead us into a largely wet weekend, with slowly lowering temperatures. An 80 POP for showers and possible thundershowers on Saturday and Saturday evening, then a 60 POP for more showers on Sunday. High temps should be dropping through the 60s into the upper 50s by Sunday. A sunny/partly cloudy period at the beginning of next week through Tuesday, with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s and hoped for lower dew point temperatures.

Thursday's precipitation: 0

March total precipitation: 0.95"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 5.64"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Thursday as follows :

High temp 79.3° (1641)

Low temp 57.7° (0316)

Obs temp tonight 64.1°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 98% (0822) to a low of 57% (1652)

Dew point ranged from 65° to 56°.

Peak Wind Gust 6 MPH from the SE (0404)

Pressures ranged from 30.30"(0002) to 30.10"(1720).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 64.1° and clear. Winds Calm, barometer 30.13" and steady, humidity 87% with a dew point of 60°.

Currently at 0221 EDT the temp is 60.4°, Clear, Winds Calm, barometer 30.11" and falling, humidity 92% with a dew point of 58°.

The current radar is showing rain showers out in much of the midwest, headed this way for the weekend. A few widely scattered storms/showers earlier in central VA moving south dissipated a bit earlier as they moved south, away from my immediate area.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Friday morning.

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for Friday, March 23, 2012

Friday started out sunny and warm and kept it up, reaching 83.9 for our 5th record high set since March 15. Also in that streak is an incredible 6 days in a row of highest minimum temps from the 18th through today. With the old record at 48 for highest min on Saturday, we stand to probably add one more day to that highest min streak before our long overdue cooldown starts to work in this weekend. High temps may not get out of the upper 60s on Saturday with rain coming in from the south and west and should persist most of the weekend. More rain on Sunday with highs once again in the upper 60s. A 90 POP for rain on Saturday and an 80 POP for Saturday evening will decrease some to a 60 POP on Sunday and a 50 POP Sunday night. Sunny skies with highs in the lower 60s on Monday and upper 50s on Tuesday will be down to seasonable values for this time of year. Showers look to return on Wednesday as it looks now. We certainly need the rain! By the way, routine still did not return to my office on Friday, as systems were slow to return to normal and I had another day off. Power was restored and people were allowed to enter the building by mid-afternoon. Computer rooms with our servers that store all our data were slow to cool down and were brought back into operation slowly. Another side effect of this record heat spell going on!

Friday's precipitation: 0

March total precipitation: 0.95"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 5.64"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Friday as follows :

High temp 83.9° (1608)

Low temp 55.4° (0729)

Obs temp tonight 68.0°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 98% (0904) to a low of 37% (1630)

Dew point ranged from 65° to 54°.

Peak Wind Gust 11 MPH from the N (1113)

Pressures ranged from 30.13"(0000) to 29.97"(1714).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 68.0° and cloudy. Winds 2 MPH from the E, barometer 29.97" and steady, humidity 76% with a dew point of 60°.

Currently at 0346 EDT the temp is 62.8°, Cloudy, Winds 3 MPH from the E, barometer 29.93" and falling, humidity 84% with a dew point of 58°.

The current radar is showing rain showers to my west, through much of West VA, western PA, and sections of west central VA, heading mostly north by northeaast, gradually moving east towards our immediate area. Some embedded thunderstorms also, but mostly in the second wave further west in KY and OH.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Saturday morning.

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for Saturday, March 24, 2012

Saturday was a cloudy, damp, foggy, rainy day. One more record set with the min of 54 breaking the old record of 48 for the day. But at least it gradually got cooler as the rain and clouds worked its way into our area. It doesn't look like we we will be setting any more temperature records for the next several days as we get much closer to normal late March temperatures. Rain showers should continue overnight (90 POP) but the chances of rain reduce dramatically based on the latest forecast runs with just a 20 POP on Sunday and Sunday night, though remaining cloudy. Temps should be in the 60s, and that should be the norm for high temps for the coming week, varying only from lower 60s to upper 60s with lows mostly in the 40s. Still above normal but a lot less than what we have been having thankfully. Sunny to partly cloudy skies should predominant the patterns for the week with little chances of rain.

Saturday's precipitation: 0.59" (LR and VP2) 1.08"/hr max rain rate @ 1558

March total precipitation: 1.54"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 6.23"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Saturday as follows :

High temp 68.0° (0000)

Low temp 54.0° (2346)

Obs temp tonight 54.0°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 98% (1308) to a low of 76% (0000)

Dew point ranged from 61° to 53°.

Peak Wind Gust 12 MPH from the N (1626)

Pressures ranged from 29.98"(0002) to 29.88"(1702).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 54.0° and cloudy. Winds 6 MPH from the ENE, barometer 29.88" and steady, humidity 97% with a dew point of 53°.

Currently at 0425 EDT the temp is 51.4°, Cloudy, Winds 4 MPH from the NW, barometer 29.80" and falling, humidity 97% with a dew point of 51°. 0.04" of rain has fallen according to the VP2 since midnight.

The current radar is showing scattered light rain showers over our general area, moving northward slowly as they also diminish in size and intensity. I don't see much more rain at all to fall the rest of the evening in my immediate area.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Sunday morning.

[WVclimo]

Raining and 46 degrees. Now this is more typical of March than what's gone down the past three weeks.

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for Sunday, March 25, 2012

Sunday marked the end of the rainy weekend, and it was a lot less rain than I expected to get, and was over before 8 AM. Just two light periods of rain after midnight, around 2:30 AM and then around 7:30 AM. Clouds persisted most of the day except the ceiling raised and some peaks of sun showed by mid-afternoon. Partly cloudy skies overnight with lows around 50. Monday will be cooler with high temps in the mid-upper 50s. There is a freeze watch out for Monday night/Tuesday morning, with lows dropping down into the upper 20s. Sunny and cool temps continuing on Tuesday with highs in the mid 50s. Warmer temps briefly return on Wednesday with highs in the low 70s and a 30 POP for showers for our only chance of rain for the work week. Cooler temps again on Thursday and Friday with highs of 60-65 during the period. There is a hint of a possible storm over the weekend that might lead to some interesting weather but that remains to develop and updates on it won't be really firmed up until later in the week.

Sunday's precipitation: 0.12" (LR and VP2) 0.40"/hr max rain rate @ 0735

March total precipitation: 1.66"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 6.35"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Sunday as follows :

High temp 61.9° (1819)

Low temp 49.1° (0907)

Obs temp tonight 56.1°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 100% (0722) to a low of 78% (1547)

Dew point ranged from 56° to 48°.

Peak Wind Gust 12 MPH from the NE (0409)

Pressures ranged from 29.88"(0000) to 29.78"(1715).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 56.1° and partly cloudy. Winds Calm, barometer 29.82" and rising, humidity 92% with a dew point of 54°.

Currently at 0200 EDT the temp is 54.8°, PCloudy, Winds 1 MPH from the N, barometer 29.82" and rising, humidity 91% with a dew point of 52°.

The current radar is showing a narrow line of showers running NE/SW through central VA, heading SE towards the SE VA coast, away from our area.

There are larger areas of showers in coastal and offshore North Carolina, not heading towards my area.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Monday morning.

[Kevin Shaw]

Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for Monday, March 26 2012

Monday marked my return to work at my Silver Spring office after a rather unusual and unexpected 4 day weekend due to the electrical fire incident in our building early Thursday morning. Other than a problem with our telephones, our building seemed to be back to functional normal. We also had a return to much more normal weather, not quite down to standard averages, but much closer than we have been. Sunny skies and 40s to start, up into the upper 50s then a real cool down by late afternoon into the evening with dew points dropping into the low teens. Windy conditions, easily the windiest of the month so far, with my peak gust of 30 MPH, which because of my sheltered, somewhat blocked location translates to gusts at other locations with better exposure into the 40s today. Tonight the wind had been keeping up for the most part, but now is finally reading 0 as it usually does at this time, and the temperature is really dropping finally. A freeze warning is out, as with all the warm weather of late vegetation has really grown out and lots of tender plants are definitely subject to sub-freezing temps, as expected to occur tonight. I figure we will be in the upper 20s to very low 30s by sunrise. Tuesday will find us staying cool, with sun and temps in the mid 50s. Not as cool Tuesday night, as a return southerly flow starts to set up, and temps rise back into the 70s on Wednesday with increasing clouds and a 40 POP for showers and perhaps even a thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening, marking a frontal passage. Thursday and Friday should find sun returning with highs around 60 and lows in the upper 30s. Over the weekend not much mention of any storm, cloudy and upper 30s Saturday night is the only possible vestige left, with daytime highs in the mid to upper 60s and partly cloudy to sunny skies.

Monday's precipitation: 0

March total precipitation: 1.66"

2012 annual YTD precipitation total: 6.35"

Seasonal snowfall: 4.9"

VP2 data for Monday as follows :

High temp 58.7° (1602)

Low temp 41.1° (2359)

Obs temp tonight 41.1°

Relative humidity ranged from a max of 93% (0109) to a low of 27% (1516)

Dew point ranged from 54° to 11°.

Peak Wind Gust 30 MPH from the N (1400)

Pressures ranged from 30.24"(2358) to 29.80"(0357).

At midnight EDT obs the temp was 41.1° and clear. Winds 2 MPH from the NNW, barometer 30.24" and rising, humidity 32% with a dew point of 13°.

Currently at 0201 EDT the temp is 37.7°, Clear, Winds 4 MPH from the NW, barometer 30.28" and rising, humidity 36% with a dew point of 12°.

The current radar is only showing a mixed bag of mostly light, scattered precipitation in sections of northern WI, the upper peninsula of MI, and parts of MN, heading our way eventually for Wednesday's possible action. No other echoes visible in the Eastern US at this moment, north of Florida.

Kevin the Walrus from Gaithersburg Maryland, signing off early on Tuesday morning.