PRINCE WILLIAM, Va. -- On average, Washington sees about 10 inches of snow each winter, but this season, observers at National Airport – the nation’s capital’s official measuring point for everything weather – have seen more than 45 inches.
And there’s more winter weather on the way.
Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park are under a winter storm warning through Wednesday at 7 p.m. The National Weather Service is calling for snow, possibly mixing with sleet, with total accumulations of seven to 14 inches. The heaviest snow is expected Wednesday morning.
This latest storm is a product of two weather systems – one approaching from the Midwest and another coming from the Gulf of Mexico.
“Anything additional we pick up from this snowstorm is only going to slow snow removal efforts going on now from the last one,” said National Weather Service forecaster Kevin Witt.
The past weekend’s storm, while it wasn’t the largest single storm to hit Washington, did break records. It was the most snow to fall on Feb. 5 and 6 in Washington since records have been kept, said Witt.
Officially, just over 18 inches of snow fell at National Airport, more than 25 at Baltimore-Washington International Airport and more than two and a half feet of snow to Dulles International Airport.
This latest blast of winter weather could be one of many more that will affect the region in this year.
“We monitor weather patterns around the world, and see how they will affect the U.S., and when the water gets warmer around South America, and a cold pattern like the one we have now sets in we normally see some record-breaking snow,” said Witt. “A lot of the numbers from the last storm are not official, we are working on compiling them now, and when the severe season begins in the spring we’ll have a better of idea of any and all of the records we broke this winter.”
Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.
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