Community Corner

Will Herndon See Snow This Winter? Northern Virginia's Winter Weather Outlook

Forecasters say a higher-than-normal snow level is a possibility for the D.C. Metro area.

By Beth Lawton

Snow has already started falling in the coldest parts of the United States, but whether Fairfax will see any of the white stuff this winter is still up for debate.

Typically, the D.C. Metro area gets 15.4 inches of snow, but the last three winters have been well below average for total snowfall. 

The Farmers’ Almanac 2014 winter forecast shows we’re heading for “bitterly cold” weather, with two-thirds of the country - including this area - experiencing below-normal temperatures. 

Find out what's happening in Herndonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In addition, the mid-Atlantic region “will be seeing either copious rains and/or snows” as temperatures hover around the freezing mark. The normal D.C. Metro average winter temperature is in the upper 30s.

According to the Capital Weather Gang’s Rick Grow, the atmosphere isn’t showing its hand yet, and we may be heading for a “La Nada” winter, where neither the El Nino nor La Nina phases really show up. That makes predictions difficult.

Find out what's happening in Herndonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Weather Advance predicts a weak La Nina, which means slightly higher than normal snowfall in the D.C area.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts winter precipitation should be about average, or we have equal chances of having above or below normal precipitation.

Either way, the Capital Weather Gang also cautions against putting too much stock in long-range forecasts

“At best, we can offer what amounts to an educated guess as to whether an upcoming season will be cold or warm (or wet or dry) compared to normal. We’re right about these seasonal tendencies only slightly more often than we’re wrong,” the Gang’s Jason Samenow wrote in August.

Are you hoping we get some snow this winter? Or is snow a big pain? Tell us in the comments below.


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