Did today feel historically warm for early February to you? If so, you were on to something.
As first reported by WJZ, today’s unseasonably warm weather broke an 113-year-old record high of 64 degrees. National weather records show that not only has Baltimore beaten that 1904 mark, but it’s also since shattered it by reaching 68 degrees by 1 p.m.
Today’s high temperature still doesn’t come close to the all-time top mark for February: 83 degrees, set at BWI Airport on Feb. 25, 1930.
Weather records are fun, but what’s more notable is the enigmatic pattern taking shape this week that will likely bring snow to the region 24 hours after residents’ thermometers almost hit 70 degrees. Tomorrow’s forecast indicates the Baltimore area could get snow showers around 1 p.m. and see slight accumulations overnight tomorrow. To visualize how weird this is, just look at these consecutive tweets from the National Weather Service:
Unseasonably warm temperatures for today #DCwx #VAwx #MDwx #WVwx pic.twitter.com/QGyKlDEwQJ
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) February 7, 2017
Potential for snow Wednesday night into early Thursday. See link for more details. https://t.co/UcIDzCnTX5 pic.twitter.com/172qjgUxOw
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) February 6, 2017
Even weirder is that these belligerent weather changes are becoming somewhat regular. Baltimore has barely seen any snowfall so far this winter – 0.7 inches to be exact, per The Weather Channel – but when the area did get a burst of winter weather in mid-December, it came a day after the city issued its first Code Blue alert for bone-chilling temperatures. Then, after Mother Nature dropped a sheet of ice on the roads and wreaked deadly havoc on the region, temperatures jumped back up to the mid-50s within a day (just in time for the Ravens game).
Luckily, the high temperatures today should preclude any snow or ice sticking to the roads. Still, drivers should make sure to watch the forecast and, when it does start snowing, proceed with caution to avoid any additional disasters that would build upon the carnage of December.
