Washington DC

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Graphical Climatology of Washington DC: Daily Temperatures and Rainfall, by Year (1872 – Present) 

    The following is a graphical climatology of Washington DC Temperatures, precipitation, and various other variables, from 1872 into 2024. Presented are daily climatological overview charts (temperature), annual time-series (temperature and precipitation), “climograms” (hour-by-month depictions of temperature, humidity, and winds followed by year-to-year graphs that depict daily max/min temperature, daily mean temperature anomalies, and daily rainfall.  Data were obtained courtesy of the NWS-Washington/Baltimore site  https://www.weather.gov/lwx , mostly from the NOWDATA section, and occasional referrals are made to the old Washington DC Monthly Weather Reviews for the  earlier years.        
 
 
Latest Update: 3 Apr 2024      e-mail contact: cjfisk@att.net

– HISTORICAL SERIES –

HOUR-BY-MONTH CLIMOGRAMS FOR WASHINGTON DC 

OTHER SUMMARY CLIMATE CHARTS:

YEAR-TO-YEAR GRAPHS – INTERPRETATION

The top chart for a given year’s page (accessed by the links below) are “floating-bars” of the year’s daily maxima and minima temperatures. Superimposed on the bars are two line traces, the upper one connecting long-term (1872-2022) mean daily maxima, the lower one mean daily minima.

Second chart down depicts the day-to-day mean temperature anomalies (daily mean temperature less the corresponding long-term 1872-2022 climatological mean).  Departures extending upward in red from the zero line indicate warmer than average means for the day, those extending downward in blue indicate below average ones.    

(Note: Clicking on the floating-bar charts a second time after they appear on the screen will enlarge them further and make the details more viewable).

 YEAR-TO-YEAR GRAPHS – COMPLETE SET OF LINKS   

1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

The third chart down shows the second chart’s daily mean temperature anomalies in deseasonalized (“standardized” or “z-scores”) form . Those of plus or minus 3.0 z are the “extremes of the extremes”, comprising just 0.1% (or 63 individual days’ cases) of the more than 55,000 entire Washington DC daily observations.  Forty of the 63 are negatively signed, with the greatest negative –3.92 z for 31 Dec 1880 (13 F/-13 F temperature range), and the greatest positive +3.43 z for 26 Jan 1950 (79/56 F daily temperature range), 

Fourth chart down depicts daily precipitation totals, as high as 6.39 inches (23 Aug 1933), the fifth and sixth, respectively, representing daily snowfall accumulations, and accumulated snow depths.  Maximum figure of the former is 21.0″ inches (for 28 Jan 1922), that for the latter 34″ (for 14-15 Feb 1899).   

LINKS TO SOME OF THE MORE INTERESTING YEAR-TO-YEAR GRAPHS, WITH ACCOMPANYING NOTES

The links below depict a collection of DC daily temperature, precipitation, and snowfall patterns that were eventful in some fashion – either statistically or from a pure-pattern sense, physical interpretations aside.

  • 2018 – Wettest calendar year in history (66.28″).
  • 2012 – Warmest year in history (61.5 F).
  • 2011  –   July warmest calendar month (84.5 F) in history. 
  • 2010 –  February with 32.1″ of snow. Total for 2009-10 season (56.1″) surpasses 1898-99’s previous record (54.4″). Warmest Summer in history (81.3 F).
  • 2007 – Warmest Spring in history (63.2 F).
  • 2003 – Second wettest year in history (60.83″).
  • 1991  . Warmest year to date (60.2 F).
  • 1990 – Warmest year to date (60.0 F).
  • 1989 = December ties 1917 for second coldest December since 1876.
  • 1980 – Warmest year to date (59.6 F). Hottest summer to date (80.0 F).
  • 1979 – Snowy Feb (30.6″). Second in high magnitude to Feb 1899’s 35.2″.
  • 1973 – Warmest year to date (59.4 F).
  • 1965 – Driest year (26.94″) since 1930. 
  • 1963 – No Measurable Precipitation in October, only calendar month of that distinction in the 1872-present history.
  • 1961 – Cold late Jan to early Feb. Twenty-nine consecutive days with measurable snow depth, a record.
  • 1960 – Historic cold and snowy March.  Second coldest and second snowiest March – 1872-present history.
  • 1959 – Continuous anomalous warmth, early August to early October, except for brief mid-September cool interruption
  • 1950 – Warmest January (47.9 F), 1872-present.
  • 1945 – Warmest April to date.
  • 1936 – Dust Bowl year 1936 produces very cold February, but a 105 F temperature reading in early July.
  • 1934 – Coldest February (24.6 F) in history.  Average day-to=day change in max temperature (7.5 F) for 1934 the highest figure for any individual year (1872-2022).  September the wettest calendar month in all history (17.45″), with reference to as far back as 1817.
  • 1932 – Warmest January to date, and mildest winter (Dec ’31 – Jan ’32) down to the present. But sharp unseasonable cold snap in early March.
  • 1931 – Warmest year to date (58.3 F).
  • 1930 – Drought Year. Driest in all history (21.66″). Eleven 100 F + days, including 106 F in early July.
  • 1929 – Curious-looking three-“pronged” warm anomaly pattern over early-March to early-April period.
  • 1922 – “Knickerbocker” snowstorm in late January; 28 inches accumulated over two days.
  • 1918 – January coldest calendar month (23.7 F), 1872-present, but 106 F registered in early August.
  • 1907 – Several days of 90+ F heat in late March, but coldest April-June period in history, 1872 to present.
  • 1904 – Coldest year in history
  • 1900 – Heavy rains over late May to early June.
  • 1899 – Great early February cold wave. Record -15 F cold and 34″ snow depth. Snowiest calendar month in history (35.2″).
  • 1896 – Unseasonably early nine-day summer-like warm spell over mid-April.
  • 1895 – Mix of pronounced anomalous warm and cold spells across the year.
  • 1889 – Wettest calendar year (61.30″) until 2018.
  • 1889–90 – Mildest winter for another 42 years, until 1931-32.
  • 1879 – Gyrating warm and cold anomaly spells, October into December.
  • 1875 – Second Coldest year (1872-present).                                                                 
  • Member, American Meteorological Society
  

Graphical Climatology of Washington DC: Daily Temperatures and Rainfall, by Year (1872 – Present)   -(Under Construction)

The following is a graphical climatology of Washington DC Temperatures, precipitation, and various other variables, from 1872 thru 2022. Presented are daily climatological overview charts (temperature), annual time-series (temperature and precipitation), “climograms” (hour-by-month depictions of temperature, humidity, and winds followed by year-to-year graphs that depict daily max/min temperature, daily mean temperature anomalies, and daily rainfall.  Data were obtained courtesy of the NWS-Washington/Baltimore site  https://www.weather.gov/lwx , mostly from the NOWDATA section, and occasional referrals are made to the old Washington DC Monthly Weather Reviews for the  earlier years.        
 
 
Latest Update: 28 Jan 2023      e-mail contact: cjfisk@att.net

– HISTORICAL SERIES –

HOUR-BY-MONTH CLIMOGRAMS FOR WASHINGTON DC 

OTHER SUMMARY CLIMATE CHARTS:

YEAR-TO-YEAR GRAPHS – INTERPRETATION

The top chart for a given year’s page (accessed by the links below) are “floating-bars” of the year’s daily maxima and minima temperatures. Superimposed on the bars are two line traces, the upper one connecting long-term (1872-2022) mean daily maxima, the lower one mean daily minima.

Second chart down depicts the day-to-day mean temperature anomalies (daily mean temperature less the corresponding long-term 1872-2022 climatological mean).  Departures extending upward in red from the zero line indicate warmer than average means for the day, those extending downward in blue indicate below average ones.    

(Note: Clicking on the floating-bar charts a second time after they appear on the screen will enlarge them further and make the details more viewable).

 YEAR-TO-YEAR GRAPHS – COMPLETE SET OF LINKS   

1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

The third chart down shows the second chart’s daily mean temperature anomalies in deseasonalized (“standardized” or “z-scores”) form . Those of plus or minus 3.0 z are the “extremes of the extremes”, comprising just 0.1% (or 63 individual days’ cases) of the entire Washington DC history.  Forty of the 63 are negatively signed, with the greatest negative –3.92 z for 31 Dec 1880 (13 F/-13 F temperature range). and the greatest positive +3.43 z for 26 Jan 1950 (79/56 F daily temperature range), 

Fourth chart down depicts daily precipitation totals, as high as 6.39 inches (23 Aug 1933), the fifth and sixth, respectively, representing daily snowfall accumulations, and accumulated snow depths.  Maximum figure of the former is 21.0″ inches (for 28 Jan 1922), that for the latter 34″ (for 14-15 Feb 1899).   

LINKS TO SOME OF THE MORE INTERESTING YEAR-TO-YEAR GRAPHS, WITH ACCOMPANYING NOTES

The links below depict a collection of DC daily temperature, precipitation, and snowfall patterns that were eventful in some fashion – either statistically or from a pure-pattern sense, physical interpretations aside.

  • 1960 – Historic cold and snowy March. Second coldest and second snowiest . 
  • 1959 -.Early August thru early October anomalously warm throughout except for brief late-Sepember cool lapse.  
  • 1950 – Warmest January of entire history 
  • 1945 – Warmest April to date. 
  • 1936  – Dust Bowl year 1936 produces very cold February, but a 105 F temperature reading in early July. 
  • 1934 – Coldest February (24.6 F) in history.  Average day-to=day change in Maximum Temperature (7.5 F) highest figure for any individual year (1872-2022). September the wettest calendar month in all history (17.45″), with reference back as 1817. 
  • 1932  – Warmest January to date, and mildest winter (Dec ’31= Jan ’32) down to the present.
  • 1931 – Warmest year to date (58.3 F) 
  • 1930 – Drought Year. Driest in all history, only 50% of average precipitation. Eleven 100 F + days, including 106 F in early July..
  • 1929 – Curiously-appearing three-“pronged” warm anomaly pattern prevalent over early-March to early-April period  
  • 1922 – “Kinckerbocker” snowstorm in late January; 28 inches accumulated over two days
  • 1918 – January coldest calendar month (23.7 F), 1872-present, but 106 F registered in early August. 
  • 1917 – Cold year.
  • 1907 – Several days of 90+ F heat in late March, but coldest April-June period in history, 1872 to present. 
  • 1900 – Heavy rains over late May to early June period.
  • 1899 – Great early February cold wave. Record -15 F cold and 34″ snow depths. 
  • 1896 – Premature nine-day summer-like warm spell over mid-April.
  • 1895 – Mix of pronounced anomalous warm and cold spells across the year.   
  • 1889–90 – Mildest winter for another 42 years, until 1931-32.
  • 1879 – Great gyrating warm and cold anomaly spells, October into December.  
  • 1875 – Coldest year (1872-2022)
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* Member, American Meteorological Society