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While this month has been the eleventh warmest in 152 years of record keeping, 7News Chief Meteorologist Veronica Johnson tells WTOP that winter isn’t over yet.
“It’s been on vacation,” she joked.
After weeks of weather whiplash in January — with the area seeing its first major snowfall in years to record-breaking high temperatures just a few days later — February seems to be following a similar trend.
“Looking ahead to our pattern for the second half of the month, it’s likely to be colder than average,” Johnson said.
Friday was sunny with highs running above average for the month in the 50s. But how long should we wait before hanging up our winter coats?
“All it takes is that jet stream to move a little bit up the coast, and with pockets of cold air dropping in from the Arctic and Canada, that is the perfect combination for us getting snow,” she said.
Johnson said predictions for an early spring might actually still be a ways away, and that you might want to keep that winter gear handy.
“All it takes it one big [storm], and we’ve got ourselves a full-fledged, nice winter,” she said.
Eight inches of snow already this winter, plus El Nino weather conditions, have Johnson expecting that the rest of this month could run a lot colder than average — and might mean this winter ends up measuring up to earlier predictions for a harsher season.
“Never turn your back on a season that still has 39 days left in it,” she said.
Colder conditions will start around next Thursday with highs in the low 40s, compared to low 60s this weekend. Rain on Sunday will last into the afternoon.
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