Hey, remember spring? It showed up seemingly out of nowhere in February and swept us off our feet. Temperatures soared to 80 degrees, and spring doted on us with sunny days and beautiful flowers. We thought that was it — our love for winter was unrequited, but spring was there to dry our tears and pick up the pieces.
Then, like a Hallmark movie without the fairy-tale end, it left us, and did not look back. Not even now — on the eve of the vernal equinox — has the season shown a hint of regret and willingness to return.
“Spring” begins tomorrow, they say, but yet another winter storm with yet another foot of snow is rolling up the East Coast this week. High temperatures are going to be in the 40s in Washington and New York City through the end of the week.
So color us skeptical.
[Wintry mix and snow possible in the D.C. area Tuesday and Wednesday]
At 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, the sun will be directly above the equator on its way into the Northern Hemisphere. Because Earth has a 23.5-degree tilt, the hemispheres get different amounts of sunlight through the year. On the equinox, however, neither hemisphere is tilted toward or away from the sun, and, as a result, each hemisphere receives roughly equal amounts of daylight and darkness.
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, daylight is rapidly increasing. Washington gains 2 minutes and 33 seconds of daylight per day in mid-March. Northern U.S. cities are racking up close to 3 minutes or more.
But it is not necessarily getting much warmer, as we have experienced over the past few weeks. While the increasing daylight and higher sun angle eventually usher in warmer weather, spring tends to be slow to start. In most of the Lower 48, spring is actually a few degrees colder than fall, despite the days being much longer. In Washington, meteorological spring averages 3 to 4 degrees colder than fall.
This year, the cold weather is mostly due to what is going on in the atmosphere. The pattern in March has been exceptionally winterlike. But, in general, there is a seasonal temperature lag that also comes into place.
Even though there is more solar radiation coming in during the spring, it takes a while for the weather to warm up. A lot of energy is needed to heat water — and there is a lot of water on our planet. The opposite is true in the fall, when temperatures are slow to cool off because the oceans hang on to heat longer.
It is no surprise, then, that the March equinox is significantly colder than its September counterpart. The spring equinox, on average, is 15 to 30 degrees colder than the first day of fall across nearly all of the Lower 48.
We are certainly feeling that difference this week, holding out hope that spring weather will return in April. We will be here, waiting, with open arms.
Two waves of winter weather may cast a shadow during the first week of spring in the D.C. region, starting with rain overnight and possible snow Tuesday and Wednesday.
TUESDAY: Slushly snow accumulations likely on Tuesday morning for the I-81 corridor & #ShenandoahValley including Frederick CO, MD. Snow cancellations likely. #snow #school pic.twitter.com/DP5USbgprl
WASHINGTON — Nothing about this year’s first day of spring will bring visions of flowers and Easter egg hunts.
A mix of rain, sleet and snow is expected to arrive in the D.C. area overnight and affect Tuesday morning’s commute. Forecasters are also looking out for another storm to move into the area Tuesday night and potentially bring snow Wednesday, said Storm Team4’s chief meteorologist Doug Kammerer.
The National Weather Service has a Winter Weather Advisory in effect from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, and a Winter Storm Watch in effect from late Tuesday night through Wednesday night.
Quick Links:
Weather
After a sun-filled Monday, two waves of winter weather are expected to cast a shadow during the first week of spring in the D.C. region, with possible snow in the forecast.
“There are two parts to this system,” Storm Team4’s Lauryn Ricketts said.
Showers and falling temperatures overnight could change over to a snow mix by daybreak Tuesday. A mix of sleet and snow is especially expected to affect areas north and west of D.C., Kammerer said, with roads expected to be slushy the farther north and west drivers go.
The National Weather Service’s Winter Weather Advisory means “periods of snow, sleet or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties” on Tuesday. Wet snow and freezing rain is expected.
Update regarding the winter weather headlines for Tuesday and Wednesday. See map for details. For additional information, go to https://t.co/NE4IUzNKyF pic.twitter.com/ztUwkEx0uQ — NWS DC/Baltimore (@NWS_BaltWash) March 20, 2018
Kammerer said it’s tough to forecast because of temperatures — one degree will make a different from sleet to snow, he added.
A light glaze of ice will be a major impact Tuesday for northern Maryland, Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, according to the weather service. The advisory affects D.C. and several surrounding counties in Maryland and Virginia.
In Maryland, affected areas include Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Calvert, Charles, Carroll, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s County and St. Mary’s counties. In Virginia, affected areas include City of Alexandria, and Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William counties
The weather service said another round of snow is likely late Tuesday night and Wednesday. Kammerer said area-wide totals could fall between 3 to 6 inches; in the north and west zones, totals could be even higher.
Wednesday will see the most snowfall, Kammerer said. Thursday is looking breezy and cool with winds out of the Northwest.
Here is the forecast:
Overnight : Rain moving in as temperatures drop — changing to snow north/west of D.C. by daybreak. Highs in the 30s to 40s.
: Rain moving in as temperatures drop — changing to snow north/west of D.C. by daybreak. Highs in the 30s to 40s. Tuesday : Weather alert — snow possible north and west of D.C. Around Interstate 95 sees possible rain or mix. Southeast of D.C. will have mostly rain. Highs in the 30s.
: Weather alert — snow possible north and west of D.C. Around Interstate 95 sees possible rain or mix. Southeast of D.C. will have mostly rain. Highs in the 30s. Wednesday: Weather alert — snow all day, heavy at times, moving out by the evening. Highs in the upper 30s.
Latest forecast:
Travel and transportation
Storm Team4’s Sheena Parveen said the roads will be wet in the D.C. area on Tuesday, following a wintry mix of rain and snow, except in Northwest D.C. where roads may be slicker.
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration had crews pre-treat highways and bridges in northern counties in advance, as nighttime temperatures will increase the chance of roads refreezing.
Maryland crews are also clearing stormwater management systems of debris to enable positive drainage and preparing chain saws, chippers and generators, and road closed signs.
The weather service also advises that commuters expect slippery road conditions Tuesday going into Wednesday and reduced visibility at times.
Two winter storms coming our way…expect snow for EVERYBODY on Wednesday which means cancellations, travel delays and accumulating snow pic.twitter.com/53P48KPWQi — Lauryn Ricketts (@laurynricketts) March 19, 2018
Closings and delays
If the bleak forecast comes to fruition and causes any school delays Tuesday or Wednesday, they will be listed on WTOP’s Closings and Delays page.
Closings and Delays
WTOP’s Weather Center
WTOP Traffic Center
Like WTOP on Facebook and follow @WTOP on Twitter to engage in conversation about this article and others.
© 2018 WTOP. All Rights Reserved.
The vernal equinox is upon us: On Tuesday, March 20, both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres will experience an equal amount of daylight. For those of us here in the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the beginning of spring, with daylight hours continuing to lengthen until the summer solstice in June. For those south of the equator, it’s the beginning of autumn.
Technically speaking, the equinox occurs when the sun is directly in line with the equator. This will happen at 12:15 pm Eastern time on Tuesday.
Below is a short scientific guide to the most equal night of the year.
1) Why do we have an equinox?
The equinox, the seasons, and the changing length of daylight hours throughout the year are all due to one fact: The Earth spins on a tilted axis.
The tilt — possibly caused by a massive object hitting Earth billions of years ago — means that for half the year, the North Pole is pointed toward the sun (as in the picture below). For the other half of the year, the South Pole gets more light. It’s what gives us seasons.
Here’s a time-lapse demonstration of the phenomenon shot over the course of a whole year from space. In the video, you can see how the line separating day from night swings back and forth from the poles during the year.
And here’s yet another cool way to visualize the seasons. In 2013, a resident of Alberta, Canada, took this pinhole camera photograph of the sun’s path throughout the year and shared it with the astronomy website EarthSky. You can see the dramatic change in the arc of the sun from December to June.
This is a 6 month pinhole photo taken from solstice to solstice, in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. We are one of the sunniest cities in Canada, and this shows it nicely. Posted by Ian Hennes on Saturday, December 21, 2013
(You can easily make a similar image at home. All you need is a can, photo paper, some tape, and a pin. Instructions here.)
2) How many hours of daylight will I get Tuesday?
Equinox literally means “equal night.” And during the equinox, most places on Earth will see approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night.
But not every place will experience the exact same amount of daylight. For instance, on Tuesday, Fairbanks, Alaska, will see 12 hours, 17 minutes of daylight. Key West, Florida, will see 12 hours and seven minutes. The differences are due to how the sunlight gets refracted (bent) as it enters Earth’s atmosphere at different latitudes.
That daylight is longer than 12 hours on the equinox is also due to how we commonly measure the length of a day: from the first hint of the sun peeking over the horizon in the morning to the very last glimpse of it before it falls below the horizon in the evening. Because the sun takes some time to rise and set, it adds some extra daylight minutes.
Check out TimeAndDate.com to see how many hours of sunlight you’ll get during the equinox.
3) Can I really only balance an egg on its tip during on the equinox?
Perhaps you were told as a child that on the equinox, it’s easier to balance an egg vertically on a flat surface than on other days of the year.
The practice originated in China as a tradition on the first day of spring in the Chinese lunar calendar in early February. According to the South China Morning Post, “The theory goes that at this time of year the moon and earth are in exactly the right alignment, the celestial bodies generating the perfect balance of forces needed to make it possible.”
This is a myth. The amount of sunlight we get during the day has no power over the gravitational pull of the Earth or our abilities to balance things upon it. You can balance an egg on its end any day of the year (if you’re good at balancing things).
4) Is there an ancient monument that does something cool during the equinox?
During the winter and summer solstices, crowds flock to Stonehenge in the United Kingdom. During the solstices, the sun either rises or sets in line with the layout of the 5,000-year-old-monument. And while some flock to Stonehenge for the spring equinox too, the real place to be is in Mexico.
That’s because on the equinox, the pyramid at Chichen Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula puts on a wondrous show. Built by the Mayans around 1,000 years ago, the pyramid is designed to cast a shadow on the equinox outlining the body of Kukulkan, a feathered snake god. A serpent-head statue is located at the bottom of the pyramid, and as the sun sets on the day of the equinox, the sunlight and shadow show the body of the serpent joining with the head.
This is easier to see in a video. Check it out below.
5) Are there equinoxes on other planets?
Yes! All of the planets in the solar system rotate on a tilted axis and therefore have seasons. Some of these tilts are minor (like Mercury, which is tilted at 2.11 degrees). But others are more like the Earth (tilted at 23.5 degrees) or are even more extreme (Uranus is tilted 98 degrees!).
Below, see a beautiful composite image of Saturn on its equinox captured by the Cassini spacecraft (RIP) in 2009. The gas giant is tilted 27 degrees relative to the sun, and equinoxes on the planet are less frequent than on Earth. Saturn only sees an equinox about once every 15 years (because it takes Saturn 29 years to complete one orbit around the sun).
During Saturn’s equinox, its rings become unusually dark. That’s because these rings are only around 30 feet thick. And when light hits them head on, there’s not much surface area to reflect.
6) I clicked this article accidentally and really just want a mind-blowing picture of the sun
The image above was taken by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, a spacecraft launched in 2010 to better understand the sun.
In 2018, NASA will launch the Parker Probe Plus, a spacecraft that will come within 4 million miles of the surface of the sun (much closer than any spacecraft has been before). The goal is to study the sun’s atmosphere, weather, and magnetism and figure out the mystery of why the sun’s corona (its atmosphere) is much hotter than its surface. Still, even several million miles away, the probe will have to withstand temperatures of 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
It’s essential to understand the sun: It’s nothing to mess with. Brad Plumer wrote for Vox about what happens when the sun erupts and sends space weather our way to wreak havoc on Earth.
A powerful winter storm is barreling toward the Big Apple, bringing below-average temperatures to the region for the start of spring.
New Yorkers will celebrate the changing of the seasons with a high of 39 degrees and low of 29 starting Tuesday morning.
“It looks like it may take until April for the weather pattern to change up,” AccuWeather meteorologist Carl Erickson said, noting it’s going to be a “good 10 degrees below average for the start of spring.”
The storm, dubbed Toby, is expected to bring up to 6 inches of snow on Wednesday — much of it expected to melt away by the end of the day.
