DC December Dryness Continues

Now

Sunny, mild. Following this morning's showers amounting to only about 0.1", even the near-solstice low sun angle was enough to push temperatures in the Washington metro region into the upper half of the 50s by mid afternoon in most places. Only National and Quantico lagged behind with 53° and 50°, respectively, at 3pm. Highs were 54° at National, 57° at Dulles, 56° at BWI. More sun following the passage of a "cold" front will give us even milder conditions tomorrow.

Tonight and Tomorrow

Some clouds, seasonably mild. Under mostly clear skies, lows tonight should range from the lower 40s downtown to the mid 30s in the cooler 'burbs. After some possible fog in the morning, tomorrow will be mostly sunny with highs in the lower 60s.

For the outlook through the rest of the week, scroll down to Dan's post below.

Precipitation Perspective

The 0.09" of rain which fell in the light showers at National Airport was exactly "normal" for an average Dec. 13, but it was only the second time measurable precipitation has occurred this month. The last day more than 0.1" was recorded was over 3 weeks ago, on Nov. 22. This continues the common pattern this year in which an above-average total has occurred with a relatively smaller number of precipitation events. Although the yearly total so far is about 25% above the annual average, the 82 days with measurable amounts are nearly 30% below the long-term average.

CapitalWeather.com chart from NWS data, photo © Kevin Ambrose