Double Digit Departure Developing

Now

Clear, windy, cold. Winter continues its icy grip on the Washington metro area. With every day so far this February below average and today becoming the 4th consecutive day having a double digit departure from average, the month as a whole is now pushing into negative double digits. The next winter storm event is likely to take shape in the first half of next week, but the timing, track, and intensity are still subject to adjustment in the coming days.

Tonight and Tomorrow

Clear, cold. Lows tonight under clear skies will be in the mid to upper teens in the city and low teens to near 10° in 'burbland. Tomorrow will be much like today, but with a little less wind and highs about 30-32°.

For the outlook through the weekend and beyond, including the Snow Lover's Crystal Ball which has the scoop on next week's potential winter storm, scroll on down to Josh's post below.

Capitol Climate

U.S. contributors to the recent IPCC climate change report, Drs. Susan Solomon (NOAA), Kevin Trenberth (NCAR), Richard Alley (Penn State), and Gerald Meehl (NCAR), were busy on Capitol Hill today, testifying this morning to the House Science and Technology Committee and this afternoon to Senate Environment and Public Works. Copies of the prepared testimony and webcasts are available through the respective committee web sites, and at least the House hearing was covered on CSPAN, so it should be available in reruns during the next several days.

The portion of the House hearing Q&A which I saw indicates that many politicians on both sides of the aisle are increasingly understanding the science and are willing to discuss it from a non-ideological point of view. From the context of the conversation, it appears that several committee members have scientific backgrounds, although the specifics were not clear. Obviously, there are significant differences regarding the policy implications, but most of the discussion, with the notable exception of the final rebuttal, was refreshingly free of the anti-scientific propaganda still echoing around various web noise sites and squawk radio, as well as, sadly, the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, which is inexplicably attached to what is otherwise a world-class newspaper.