Three-bagger

Currently

The Washington metro area enjoyed a three-base hit today, as the picture-perfect spring weather continued for a third day. Despite a northeasterly wind behind a cold front which moved through from the north overnight, a sunny sky pushed temperatures to near 70 or a bit above by mid afternoon. The only cool spots in the region were those with cold-water influences: Ocean City was at 50, and Annapolis was 59 at 3pm. The regional radar is clear. In fact, the only precipitation in the eastern half of the country is in the Gulf States ahead of the low pressure area which brought nearly 2 feet of snow to eastern Colorado and closed 200 miles of I-70 over the weekend.

Outlook

The cooler air which is now moving in over us will be reinforced by the strong "meridional flow" pattern which we are in. As the pattern continues through the week, we can expect cool and damp conditions, as described by Jason below. Expect lows tonight in the low to mid 40's and highs tomorrow in the mid to upper 50's with increasing cloudiness.

Blog log: Vote early and often!

The WeatherBug Storm Chase 2005 blog has narrowed down the field to 3 contestants to go storm chasing with them. Read about the 3 candidates, and then cast a vote for your favorite.

Broadcast news

The radio Weather Talk guys Justin Berk and Tony Pann have launched a web site in connection with their show. The first show was yesterday afternoon. If you listened, tell us your impressions of the show in the comments section (link below). I suspect that for at least some parts of the DC area, reception for the Baltimore station will be weak at best. In west-central Montgomery County, I could tune it in only on the upstairs clock radio at maximum volume.

NatCast
Nationals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, 7:05pm on April 14, RFK
See Jason's post below for a preview of the conditions for the Nats' home opener Thursday night, and watch this space for updates during the week. The blogger gods willing, we'll have a last-minute update Thursday afternoon, so you'll know what to wear and whether to bring your brolly. (Hopefully, umbrellas won't be banned if they're necessary.) One thing we can be confident of at least: With a 7:05 starting time, you won't need sunscreen.