The Capital Weather Gang has released its Winter Outlook for subscribers, calling for a generally mild and wet winter in the Washington, D.C. region while warning that major snowstorms remain possible. A little over a week ago, a panel of experts predicted a wide range of projected snow this winter.
“A powerful El Niño favors a mild, wet winter in DC, but major snowstorms remain possible,” the Capital Weather Gang said in introducing its outlook. The full Winter Outlook, including the Capital Weather Gang’s official snowfall forecast and maps, is currently available to subscribers and is scheduled to become available to the general public on Monday, November 2.
Earlier this month, the Capital Weather Gang also shared snowfall predictions from a panel of outside weather experts, and the forecasts showed just how uncertain the upcoming winter could be.
The panel included forecasters and researchers from AccuWeather, Atmospheric G2, Janus Research Group/MIT and Arcfield Weather. Their predictions varied dramatically, ranging from well below normal snowfall (just 3.5 inches) to totals approaching twice the region’s seasonal average (25.5 inches).
On the low end, some experts expect a lack of sustained cold air to result in more rain and mixed precipitation rather than accumulating snow. On the other end of the spectrum, several experts see an active southern storm track combining with periods of colder air to create opportunities for significant snowfall, including the possibility of a major storm along the I-95 corridor.
The dramatically different predictions illustrate the “boom or bust” potential of the upcoming winter, with the strength of El Niño providing plenty of moisture while the availability and timing of cold air could ultimately determine how much of that precipitation falls as snow. The full article can be seen here.
