kgottwald

At 3 p.m. it looked like a nasty line of storms was heading straight for Tysons Corner. But all we got was clouds - not even much wind! Sun back out in Vienna.

Yesterday the extended forecast was an unbroken string of 100's with zero rain.

Long-range models always exaggerate about these things.

Today the afternoon storm chances begin on Wednesday, and we go back to seasonal norms with daily storm risks. 

Only a mini-heatwave, I guess.

Really, really tired of day after day of drizzle/mist. I want a clear morning for once! The earliest sunrises of the year, and we're missing them all!!

And some sub-50 dewpoints would be nice too. Already sick of the humidity.

I thought the cold front was supposed to sweep through right after the rain stopped, around 8 a.m. Sure is taking its sweet time getting here!

Dewpoints rapidly heading toward stifling level.

When trying to decide whether I need to bring my umbrella today, I check the NWS forecast for Fairfax County inside the beltway: "Scattered showers after 2 p.m." Then I check the AFD: "Some shower activity is likely to develop today, particularly west of U.S. 15 where scattered showers are in the forecast. . . . High-resolution models bring scattered showers toward the I-95 corridor just after sundown."

I didn't know where the heck US 15 is (why can't they use placenames instead of highways??) so I check the map and see it's way out past Leesburg! So the forecast and the discussion are mutually contradictory. I'll chance leaving the umbrella at home, because when I haul that thing around all day and not a drop of rain falls, I feel like I've been made a fool of.

On 4/10/2025 at 8:04 AM, wxdude64 said:

Low for period was 24.7, which happened around 8 am. Not even close to the record of 14 from 1985, which also had about an inch of snow OTG. I remember we almost hit 90 before the end of that month!! Currently cloudy and 40.9/34.5 at 7:55 am.

That was also the driest April in recorded history; surely the only April since white settlement where the majority of the precipitation was snow! Almost every day was dry, warm and sunny, the pleasantest month for outdoor activities in my lifetime.

Forecast high is 74. I have a feeling, though, that the warm air won't reach Fairfax.

1 hour ago, WxUSAF said:

Think CWG posted today was the warmest ever for an April morning at 5 or 6am? 75?

Florida weather

Still feels chilly - and oddly damp considering the low dewpoint. 

20 hours ago, dailylurker said:

I hear this all the time. I've been in ice storms and when it pours you can almost see the trees turning white and sagging. I remember in I think 1993 we had a real ice storm. Only one I've ever seen that didn't melt at the end of the storm. I remember 18 degrees and pouring rain. The cold snap that followed kept the trees coated for about a week. It was beautiful. That cold shot was the coldest I've ever seen in this area. 

That must have been 1994. Damn near every storm that winter was ice, very little snow. January 19 only reached 8 at DCA after a low of -4!!

2 minutes ago, TowsonWeather said:

Models by no means did a "good job portraying the difficult setup in this one." Every storm has a cutoff and every storm has a certain degree of uncertainty or complexity. But I've been on these boards for a very long time and this is one of the worst misses for a wide swath of the region I can remember. 

December 30, 2000.

Fairfax County was supposed to get 4 to 8 inches.

We got . . . CLEAR SKIES.

It wasn't even cloudy.

Now THAT'S a bust.

Runner-up: losing a promised white Christmas in 1985, because "the cold air stalled over the Appalachians." 

I'll never forget that.

Back to rain.

The brief snow earlier had changed to rain; now it's back to snow. Wind finally shifted to NW at IAD.

Snow starting to mix with the rain in Vienna VA.

I fully expect Inauguration Day to be 65 and sunny, if it isn't 80 and humid.

Heavy unforecast drizzle on my walk to work in Tysons Corner.

We'll see if this next cold front comes through as promised, or whether it turns tail and retreats to Minneapolis leaving us with 60+ dewpoints until December.

23 hours ago, EastCoast NPZ said:

10 straight days with measurable rain.

That has got to be a record.

DCA's record is 15 days, April 27 to May 11 2016.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/10/02/dc-rainy-streak-record/

And NWS says another whole week with little or no sunshine, and rain every day.

Dewpoints forecast to stay in the subtropical to tropical range for the foreseeable future.

Wake me when a real cold front arrives.

Wonder if it's possible to get through all of September with absolutely zero rain.

Only calendar month that's happened with is October 1963, counting traces as zero. But the DCA absolute drought record is 34 days in the fall of 2007.

The cool air was supposed to arrive during daylight hours, but OF COURSE it's been delayed until late night as always happens during the hot season.

Cloudy in Tysons Corner right now - will this stick around and moderate the heat?

21 hours ago, 87storms said:

The ol' NW flow and clouds have begun making their appearance.  Forecast shows sunny tomorrow which is pretty unusual in this pattern.  We'll see.  I hope it's right.

Clouds covering most of the sky already. Forecasters should know that it practically takes divine intervention to get 100% sunshine in August, especially the day after widespread showers.

My house is near the center of the dry bullseye in Fairfax County.