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Winter outlook debate: Forecasters weigh just how severe D.C.’s winter could be
If Jason Samenow could only learn that it's "Knickerbocker Theatre," not "Knickerbocker Theater."
Winter outlook debate: Forecasters weigh just how severe D.C.’s winter could be
By Jason Samenow
https://twitter.com/capitalweather
October 20 at 2:00 PM
[font size=1]Bike riding in the snow at the Washington Monument, looking west toward the Lincoln Memorial, Feb. 15. (Kevin Ambrose)[/font]
(This story has been updated.)
Weather forecasters are unveiling their predictions for the winter, but there’s no consensus on exactly what mother nature will deliver. ... The ever-cautious National Weather Service, which released its outlook today, predicts equal chances of a cold or mild winter in the D.C. area. But some bolder forecasters in the private sector say there is a strong signal it will be severe.
The Weather Service forecast is strongly influenced by its prediction that a weak La Niña event will likely develop. During La Niñas, it tends to be colder than normal in the northern United States and milder than normal in the south. Areas in between are stuck in a no man’s land, in which winter conditions could go either way or simply end up close to average.
But some forecasters in the private sector put more weight on other climate signals that the Weather Service has placed less confidence in or not emphasized. And some of these signals point in the direction of cold weather in the eastern United States.
By Jason Samenow
https://twitter.com/capitalweather
October 20 at 2:00 PM
[font size=1]Bike riding in the snow at the Washington Monument, looking west toward the Lincoln Memorial, Feb. 15. (Kevin Ambrose)[/font]
(This story has been updated.)
Weather forecasters are unveiling their predictions for the winter, but there’s no consensus on exactly what mother nature will deliver. ... The ever-cautious National Weather Service, which released its outlook today, predicts equal chances of a cold or mild winter in the D.C. area. But some bolder forecasters in the private sector say there is a strong signal it will be severe.
The Weather Service forecast is strongly influenced by its prediction that a weak La Niña event will likely develop. During La Niñas, it tends to be colder than normal in the northern United States and milder than normal in the south. Areas in between are stuck in a no man’s land, in which winter conditions could go either way or simply end up close to average.
But some forecasters in the private sector put more weight on other climate signals that the Weather Service has placed less confidence in or not emphasized. And some of these signals point in the direction of cold weather in the eastern United States.
