(Jim Havard/Flickr) We’re not going to complain that Washington didn’t get any snow this winter.
The kicker is that this dry winter followed an exceptionally dry fall in which Washington tallied only 4.16 inches of rain, compared with its typical 10.3 inches.
In fact, in a total reversal of fortune, the D.C. region’s drought is now just as bad as California’s.
The capital might be experiencing a shortfall in precipitation this winter, but the West Coast arguably had way too much.
Meanwhile in the District, a measly 1.4 inches of snow fell this winter.
“The fact that we’re missing water has less of an impact than if it were at the start of the growing season.” He added that if we continued to get less-than-average rainfall through the winter, the situation would become more serious.
In mid-February, the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va., issued a cautionary drought impact statement.
“Given the time of year, impacts are fairly minimal,” the Feb. 16 statement said.
“However, with warm weather upcoming and the potential for plant growth to begin, impacts may begin to increase soon due to seasonably low groundwater and streamflow conditions.” In the following days, the temperature would spike to record highs in the D.C. region, including an incredible 80 degrees on March 1.
This doesn’t bode well for the 2017 growing season, unless the weather pattern over the Eastern United States reverses in the next two to three weeks.