Last Saturday on Groundhog Day; one of the biggest weather holidays of the year, Punxsutawney Phil came out and predicted an early spring because he did not see his shadow. Since then, it has basically snowed everyday due to a series of clippers that have come across the area.
Some of these clippers did pack a punch, but with temperatures slightly above freezing, we had a hard time picking up any sort of accumulation. Was the groundhog’s prediction correct? Despite all the snow, the lack of any accumulation on the ground might be an indication that the groundhog knew what he was talking about.
It seems that with all the snow that has been forecasted, we’d all be making snowmen, but the snow has been quite a disappointment for snow lovers this winter. The problem we have been having is the snow has fallen onto the ground, but the sun’s radiation has prevented any significant accumulations. Had it been colder on Sunday, we may have had as much as 3 inches of snow accumulation. Note that as we get into the latter half of winter, the angel of the sun is higher in the sky, causing the ground temperature to warm up as well, affecting snow accumulations on the ground.
Looking ahead at the rest of this week, we still have one more clipper system to get through Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, but that should be the last of the clipper systems for a while; and yes, we are expecting an inch or less of accumulation. In fact, the latest models are hinting that this clipper will pass farther to the north and not even affect our region, but it is still something to keep an eye on. After this clipper moves out, skies should turn brighter, and a warming trend is expected to begin. Highs in the 40s and 50s are expected for late this week and into next week. There is a chance for some rain showers on Friday, and this will be all rain with highs in the 40s.
For snow lovers, the thought of 40s and 50s for highs is rather depressing, but just continue to hold on to your hope. We still have the rest of February and part of March to get at least some snow; although, chances will decline dramatically as we get into March.
John Biggs has been a resident of Bristow since 2001 and has seen a lot of changes to the area over the years. Graduated from Stonewall Jackson High School in 2006, he continued his education at Northern Virginia Community College where he majored in Business Management. He is now working on finishing his Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree at Strayer University.
“My favorite thing to do is study the weather. It is truly fascinating. Nothing beats a good thunderstorm. I became very interested in weather when I lived in Okinawa, Japan for four years and was actually inside a super typhoon.”
For daily, local weather forecasts, check out his Facebook page.
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