WASHINGTON — This winter will be colder than usual around the D.C. area, but with only average to slightly above average snowfall.
That’s the prediction from NBC Washington Chief Meteorologist Doug Kammerer in his “Winter Weather Outlook.”
“I think, really, December and January [will] be especially cold,” he told WTOP, and he expects temperatures to reach down into the teens for a few days.
“We could see the potential to get close to some record-low temperatures around our region,” he added.
Kammerer thinks February will be warmer than normal, with cold returning in March.
Last winter, the monster January blizzard, dubbed “Snowzilla,” dumped more than 30 inches of snow in parts of the region, but Kammerer is not predicting another blizzard this time around.
“I do expect to see a pretty big storm in March, however, I don’t expect it to be all snow,” he said.
Kammerer is calling for a total of 14 to 20 inches of snow this winter along the Interstate 95 corridor, with more north and west, and less south and east.
Many different factors go into crafting the winter outlook. One is the amount of Siberian snow cover spotted in late October and this year’s was one of the largest ever seen. But more snow over there doesn’t necessarily translate to more snow here — it’s just an indicator for a potentially colder winter.
Kammerer says that — along with record low amounts of Arctic sea ice — will help very cold air move into the area in and around the nation’s capital.
WTOP had a chance to catch up with Kammerer and discuss his winter weather forecast in more detail. Watch our Facebook Live video below.
