RodneyS

As my good buddy Joe Stalin liked to point out, the actual vote is not as important as who counts the vote. More seriously, I think the NWS does a good job of monitoring snow totals -- that's why adjustments are sometimes made after the fact.

A day like today in the Mid-Atlantic, where the temperature was above freezing the entirety of the snowstorm, presents a challenge for snow measurers. According to the National Weather Service: "While acknowledging there is no perfect way of measuring snowfall, the following best practice accommodates the observer while ensuring the best consistency. If the snow event ends well before the end of the 24-hour observing period make the 24-hour measurement at the end of the snow event, if possible. For example if the snow event ends at 1PM, make the snowfall measurement at that time." See https://www.weather.gov/media/coop/Snow_Measurement_Guidelines-2014.pdf However, even by the time the snow ended today, which was around 1 PM in my area, a lot had already melted. When I first observed the snow coming down hard around 9 AM, I thought I would have to shovel for about an hour after the storm ended. In reality, no shoveling at all was required.

This doesn't change the top of the leaderboard, but apparently RIC managed to get 0.1 today, to bring the seasonal total to 4.4.

I think Rhino16 is now a slight favorite, but MillvilleWx is eliminated. The latter has negative departures in three locations, and so can't pick up there. While he can pick up 1.8 on Clueless in Richmond, he trails by 3.1.

Right. The key is when someone already has a negative departure any additional snow increases that departure, whereas if someone has a positive departure any additional snow decreases that departure up to the point the departure is eliminated. So, for example, if Contestant A has a negative departure at all four locations whereas Contestant B has a positive departure of at least an inch at all four locations, a 1-inch snowfall at each location results in a loss for Contestant A of four points and a gain for Contestant B of four points -- an eight-point swing in Contestant B's favor.

You're correct about @RickinBaltimore and @biodhokie. The former trails by 2.6 and can pick up only 1.6 (if he gains the maximum at DCA), and the latter trails by 4.3 and can pick up only 2.2 (1.2 at BWI and 1.0 at DCA).

DCA _ NYC _ BOS __ ORD _ ATL _ IAH ____ DEN _ PHX _ SEA -0.4 -0.3 -0.1 -1.9 0.8 1.6 -0.3 1.1 -0.4

Blame @PrinceFrederickWx. He asked about five-year DCA snow totals, which I had not previously tracked. By the way, the IAD 5-year minimum was set way back during the 1972-73 through 1976-77 snow seasons, at 58.6 inches. The last four years at IAD have totaled 48.6 inches, and so under 10 inches this year there will break the record.

The 5-year minimum DC snow total was set during the 1997-98 through 2001-02 snow seasons at 37.7 inches. The last four snow seasons at DCA have totaled 28.7 inches, and so 8.9 inches or fewer this season would break that record. The minimum two-season DC snow total was set during the 2011-12 through 2012-13 snow seasons at 5.1 inches. So, with last season's 0.6 inch total at DCA, 4.4 inches this season would break that record.

Yes, thanks very much for all the time that you spend on this each year, Roger.

DCA _ NYC _ BOS __ ORD _ ATL _ IAH ___ DEN _ PHX _ SEA 1.4 1.5 2.7 2.7 1.0 -0.3 1.4 0.5 2.0

2020 precipitation at DCA finished at 57.34 inches, 7th highest in DC history. That pushed the record-breaking 3-year total to 165.96 inches and the 2011-2020 decade yearly average to 44.51 inches. The most notable aspect of 2020 DCA precipitation was the second half total of 36.73 inches, which exceeded every past second half except 2018, which was 41.10 inches.

And DCA tied for the 4th hottest November (along with 1985) at 54.3 degrees. 2001 is # 1, at 54.8, and 1975 and 1979 are tied for 2nd at 54.4.

I just posted this to the Capital Weather Gang webpage: I think the bigger news about today's precipitation at DCA is that it pushed the 3-year total, 2018-2020, to 161 inches, with one month remaining to add to that record amount in official DC precipitation history, which began in January 1871. That total eclipsed the previous DC 3-year record of 160.64 inches, set 142 years ago, 1876-1878. Moreover, the current decade, 2011-2020, has averaged 44.0 inches per year, which is DC's second wettest of 15, behind only 1881-1890, which averaged 47.1 inches. The previous second wettest decade was 1931-40, which averaged 43.8 inches. In contrast, 1961-1970 was the driest DC decade, averaging 36.5 inches. See https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/11/30/dc-area-forecast-stormy-warm-windy-today-before-chillier-weather-settles

DCA _ NYC _ BOS __ ORD _ ATL _ IAH ___ DEN _ PHX _ SEA 0.1 0.9 1.7 2.3 0.0 2.1 -0.6 0.9 0.5

BWI: 6.7 DCA: 4.4 IAD: 7.6 RIC: 8.0 SBY: 5.5

DCA _ NYC _ BOS __ ORD _ ATL _ IAH ___ DEN _ PHX _ SEA 0.7 0.3 0.6 2.5 2.0 0.9 0.3 1.0 1.1 Snowfall DCA: 4.4" NYC: 8.5" BOS: 20.0" ORD: 31.6" DTW: 38.0" BUF: 78.9" DEN: 55.5" BTV: 66.6" SEA: 5.1"

DCA _ NYC _ BOS __ ORD _ ATL _ IAH ___ DEN _ PHX _ SEA 0.2 0.4 1.0 0.9 0.0 0.7 1.8 2.0 1.5

DCA _ NYC _ BOS __ ORD _ ATL _ IAH ___ DEN _ PHX _ SEA 1.0 1.3 2.0 1.5 0.1 1.2 1.4 3.0 3.6

Time for an update. Not much has happened to change the picture during the last two years. In 2019, August 12th had no precipitation at DCA, whereas August 15th had 0.20 inches. This year, August 12th had 0.26, whereas August 15th had 0.21. So the updated 150-year totals for DC, 1871-2020, are: August 12: 43.69 inches total; 21 days with a trace, 55 days with measurable, 12 days with at least an inch, 5 days with 2+ inches. August 15: 12.86 inches total; 16 days with a trace, 49 days with measurable, 5 days with at least an inch, no days with 2+ inches.

DCA _ NYC _ BOS __ ORD _ ATL _ IAH ___ DEN _ PHX _ SEA 0.9 1.3 2.2 0.9 0.0 -0.4 1.5 2.7 0.3

DCA recorded 28 90-degree-plus days this month, breaking the DC record of 25 set in July 2011. However, the longest streak at 20 days fell one-day short of the 1980 and 1988 record streaks of 21 days. Also, the July 2020 average temperature of 83.9 at DCA fell short of the July 2011 record average monthly temperature of 84.8, as well as the July 2012 average of 84.0.

DCA _ NYC _ BOS __ ORD _ ATL _ IAH ___ DEN _ PHX _ SEA 1.8 2.2 1.2 2.8 -0.8 1.2 3.1 0.7 -0.8

DCA _ NYC _ BOS __ ORD _ ATL _ IAH ___ DEN _ PHX _ SEA 1.1 0.7 1.3 1.9 0.6 1.0 3.9 2.2 -0.5 99 98 97 96 99 103 98 118 93

Based on the metric I was using, 1917 wasn't quite as cold as this year in DC, with an average maximum temperature of 63.8 during April 14-May 13. However, May 1917 maximums averaged only 68.8, 4th coldest of all time. And the overall average May 1917 temperature was only 59.6, just 0.4 degrees above the all-time coldest DC May, which was 1907.