RIC Airport

The cold snap was impressive, Wallops Island and Elizabeth City broke record lows this morning.

It was RIC's earliest freeze since 2013, which was the last time it hit freezing in October. 11-10 to 11-15 seems to be becoming the new normal. The last spring freeze, although it has trended earlier, seems to be more on par with the historical average.

BWI: 42.1” DCA: 36.5” IAD: 47.3” RIC: 24.7” Tiebreaker SBY: 28.4”

Time for a new thread as the old one was 6 years old. This thread is mainly for those in the NWS Wakefield CWA but not necessarily exclusive to it as anyone is welcomed to chime in. Lets hope there will be plenty to talk about this winter. The current chill is already something to talk about as the freeze at Richmond airport this morning marked KRIC's earliest freeze since 2013, which was the last time the airport officially hit freezing in October.

DCA: 11/23 IAD: 11/6 BWI: 11/14 RIC: 11/14 BWI Oct Dep: +1.7

BWI: 10.9" DCA: 7.5" IAD: 11.5" RIC: 8.1" Tiebreaker LYH: 9.6"

BWI: 11/04 IAD: 11/03 DCA: 11/27 RIC: 11/13 Peak Oct temp at DCA: 86F

RIC has has bad luck this year along with low ball numbers coming from the airport observers. Been some years since I've seen it this bad. 7-8" is probably more accurate, but it is what it is. Even ORF looks to finish the season with 11.2".

Not sure why the airport only recorded 0.4" today. Most people saw 1-2".

Finished with 2.5".

Roads are finally covered in Williamsburg, about 2mi SW of W&M. I'd say 0.75 to 1" in the grass so far and still falling. Back edge of the precip is near though, but it might be trying to pivot near/over me.

I'm in Williamsburg and it's sticking to cold surfaces (cars, mulch, etc). Radar looking like it's filling in out east.

Yes, especially after all the tracking this month, lets get a bona fide 6"+ event. Responded to your PM, btw.

90 is as far as it goes, looks like it is. I don't either, just copied from the other thread.

I'm not confident about tonight/tomorrow morning, we are grasping at straws. This is painfully frustrating. We've been tracking almost nonstop since around 12/30 and this pattern just hasn't produced. The immediate DC area is the biggest winner on the entire east coast. I hope we eventually cash in.

At least it's not the Euro.

RIC has been screwed so far this year, either too far south on 1/3, 1/6, and 1/16 to potentially being too far N & W on 1/21. If this was the first event, I'd be inclined to agree. However, 3" is nothing compared to what's happened just N & W and now it looks like there will be a miss S & E. We can do a lot better than 3" at the most climatologically favorable time of the year. Oh and by the way, the pattern, although not perfect, is decent for a Nina.

Too many to name, and ORF had two blizzards, two years in a row (17 & 18). 1/3/2018 1/7/2017 2/26/2015 1/28/2014 12/26/2010 12/26/2004 12/3/2000 2/18/1989 2/6/1980 etc.

We are due for an old school NC/VA snowstorm that used to occur more regularly. I guess we can consider 12/9/2018 as one of them, but a there were so many from the 1960s through the 1980s to name.

Yesterday the GFS provided eye candy then took it away. Now today's 12Z Euro crushes C VA next weekend.

Looks like RIC reached 20°F this morning, the 2nd coldest of the season. I am happy to finally get bona fide winter cold. It will be interesting to see whether it stays below 32°F on Tuesday. AKQ is going with only 30°F at RIC for a high under full sun. Prior to last February's ice storms, the last time RIC stayed below below freezing was on 1/31/2019. This 742 consecutive day stretch, was the longest on record. The 1991-2020 period of record had an average of 5 days with a high temperature of 32°F or below, with 1996 featuring the most at 17 days. 2020 and 2012 did not have any.

It would come at the most climatologically favorable time of the year. I feel very optimistic for RIC given the advertised pattern. Even as we look at the map below and seeing being just a bit too far south for the last couple of events.