A change in weather will end the DC growing season

During the hottest first week of November in the nation’s capital, Mother Nature is up to some tricks for the second half of the month.

During the first seven days of November, temperatures were 0.2 degrees warmer than the previous record set in 2003 and 17.5 degrees warmer than last year. At Reagan National Airport, Monday’s high of 81 degrees was the fourth 80-degree temperature in Washington since 1872 and the last 80-degree temperature since 1993. The 30-year average temperature shows that the next 80-degree day isn’t expected until mid-May.

---

---

Meanwhile Subtropical Storm Nicole Making headlines along the east coast this week, it will have a big pattern over the weekend.

A major storm moving westward will connect with a front across the Plains later this week and bring wind-driven snow to the Dakotas. As it pushes east, the front will join Nicol Friday into early Saturday and spread heavy rain and scattered flooding across the eastern Ohio Valley, including the Washington metro area.

The resulting deep trough will push the coldest weather of the season into the DC region. Northwesterly winds will be especially breezy before noon Saturday with the front tracking. Gusts of 40 to 47 mph could trigger wind warnings, especially along the Blue Ridge and west through Saturday afternoon. These winds will blow down any remaining leaves on the DMV that are still intact.

High pressure from Canada moving into the Great Lakes this weekend will bring some of the coldest weather of the season. Temperatures will drop below freezing Monday through Wednesday morning across the Capital Region toward the Chesapeake Bay. This seasonally cold air mass will officially end the growing season for the year where it currently continues along and east of Interstate 95.

Mid-November is right in line with Washington’s first fall freeze of the season. For comparison, below is a chart showing the previous first hard freeze dates of the season dating back to the last 10 years.

If you’re wondering how much snow fell in the winter after the best-matching November freeze-up dates: 19.3 inches of snow accumulated during the winter of 2013-14 and 13.4 inches in 2014-15. That could be a sign of a winter like last year, when 12.3 inches of snow blanketed the district.