The average high @Reagan_Airport is now 48. Every day this week will be warmer than average but Tuesday and Wednesday will be exceptionally warm - near records, in fact. Spread the word @DMVFollowers that there are 2 days ahead worth leaving work early. pic.twitter.com/IOXZO7ODMG
— Chuck Bell (@ChuckBell4) February 19, 2018
Unseasonably warm days ahead! We're talking near 30° above the normal high of 48°! Tune in to @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/beR9BTw3V2
— Sheena Parveen (@SheenaParveen) February 19, 2018
WASHINGTON — The calendar may say February, but it will feel a lot warmer in the next couple of days.
Temperatures will be nearly 30 degrees above normal this week and we could set some record highs.
Unseasonably warm days ahead! We’re talking near 30° above the normal high of 48°! Tune in to @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/beR9BTw3V2
— Sheena Parveen (@SheenaParveen) February 19, 2018
On Tuesday, the temperature is forecast to top out at 75 degrees, which would be one degree below the record. The temperature is expected to top out at 77 degrees on Wednesday, which would break the previous record for Feb. 21 by two degrees.
The average high @Reagan_Airport is now 48. Every day this week will be warmer than average but Tuesday and Wednesday will be exceptionally warm – near records, in fact. Spread the word @DMVFollowers that there are 2 days ahead worth leaving work early. pic.twitter.com/IOXZO7ODMG
— Chuck Bell (@ChuckBell4) February 19, 2018
“Seventy in February is actually pretty rare,” said Storm Team 4 Meterologist Chuck Bell. “Normally, we go many years without reaching 70 at all.”
Bell added that if the forecast holds up, this February is likely to finish as the third warmest on record behind only 1976 and 2017.
In 2017, there were six days in February where the thermometer got to 70 degrees or higher making it the warmest February on record dating back to 1871.
Before last year, you had to go all the way back to 2012 to find a day in February above 70 degrees.
The warm weather last year brought with it some dangerous storms that produced wind gusts of 60 mph and Ping-Pong ball-sized hail, but that is not expected to happen this year.
You also might want to hold off on putting away your winter coat for good, though. Storm Team 4 Meteorologist Chuck Bell said a cold front is expected to come through on Wednesday.
While February was a relatively pleasant month, March came in like a lion bringing snow and cold temperatures.
While snow is relatively rare in March, snow storms are not unheard of in the D.C. area into March.
Plus, the groundhog did see his shadow earlier this month, which means six more weeks of winter.
