Almost any aspect of Monday’s weather may seem special, merely because it started a new year, and so it justified a close look at the day’s assortment of raindrops and snowflakes.
Traces of both rain and snow were reported by the National Weather Service in its late-afternoon summary of the day’s conditions in D.C. Traces are relatively meager amounts, too small to measure.
But enjoyment and amusement might be derived from contemplating the few snowflakes that could be seen on New Year’s Day and imagining what deep drifts they might portend.
In the capital, the flakes seemed sparse. Around 3:30 p.m. a witness in Washington saw what appeared to be a large flake descending amid a few small raindrops.
The raindrops left dark spots on some sidewalks, but they did not seem to fall for long, did not seem to dampen much and were not distributed with a particularly lavish hand.
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In the city, most drivers seemed to scoff at the showers and spurn the use of windshield wipers.
In Fairfax County, and in Virginia regions on the northwestern fringes of the Washington metropolitan area, witnesses reported snow. One or two described it falling in flurries. Snow was seen also in Montgomery County.
As of 4 p.m. the summary of conditions at Dulles International Airport listed only traces of both rain and snow.
Snow seemed plausible on Monday. Skies seemed almost uniformly and universally gray. Little or no sun could be seen. Temperatures appeared to reside on the low end of the comfort scale. The breeze that occasionally swept in from the Northwest sometimes carried a bit of bite.
Washington’s high temperature was 43, but if such a thing as a chilly 43 exists, it could be experienced in Washington on Monday.
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The 43-degree high was three below the New Year’s Day average in Washington.
Moreover, using the daily high temperature as the measure of a day’s overall warmth, the New Year began with the chilliest day here in more than a month. Every day in December had a high temperature warmer than 43.
As with any season, winter creates sights and emits visual signals by which it is known and remembered. No season is confined to a single look or hallmark. All have several.
Sunday, with its layers of cloud and gray lack of sunshine, did not present the only look of which winter is capable. But it did seem to show one of them. It may thereby have prompted speculation on the meaning — if any — of a conventionally wintry day at the start of a traditionally wintry month.
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