Frigid February Fifteenth

Now

Variable clouds, windy, cold. The sun angle is almost halfway between the winter solstice low and the spring equinox, but that natural cycle was heavily outweighed today in the Washington metro area by some frigid Arctic air reinforced on strong northwesterly breezes. Highs barely reached the upper 20s: National 27°, Dulles and BWI 24° Combined with the chilly overnight lows, the month's double-digit deficit from average was extended further.

Although the record low of 5° at National is not in jeopardy tomorrow morning, the record of 11° last reached in 1987 at Dulles is the second highest daily minimum for February there and could be seriously threatened. The weekend will not be quite as cold, but still chilly.

Tonight and Tomorrow

Clear, very cold. Clear skies, low humidity, and diminishing winds should allow temperatures to plunge tonight to the mid teens in the city and upper single digits to near 10° in the coldest 'burbvilles. Tomorrow will be sunny and not quite as cold, highs 27-30°.

For the outlook through the weekend and beyond with Larson's Long-Range, scroll down to Josh's post below.

CapitalWeather.com chart based on Eq. 2.9 in Stull, Meteorology for Scientists and Engineers, photo © Kevin Ambrose