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How a freak 'graupel' storm turned spring back to winter in seconds Friday afternoon
I missed the whole thing. I was inside. Not until I got on my bus home at 8:00 p.m. Friday night did I hear from the bus driver about this.
Capital Weather Gang
How a freak ‘graupel’ storm turned spring back to winter in seconds Friday afternoon
Hail and graupel coat Interstate 66 in Arlington on March 22. (Janet Rice Elman via Facebook)
By Jeff Halverson and Jason Samenow
March 25 at 12:28 PM
It was Mother Nature’s version of March madness. On Friday afternoon, a fast-moving squall line unleashed high winds, thunder and lightning, rain, hail, graupel and even snow in spots across the Washington region.
In a few places, an icy torrent even coated roadways, transforming a tranquil spring afternoon into a wild winter scene in seconds.
“I just stepped out the door, and within 30 sec, the ground was covered!," tweeted @debramayberry in Arlington.
The sudden squall followed soaking, record-challenging rains the previous day. But the sunny, mild morning — with temperatures warming into the 50s — offered few clues that such a tempest was coming.
Forecasters knew that a line of gusty showers with a bit of hail or graupel was possible as a vigorous disturbance dropped through the region. But the intensity of this squall line exceeded expectations. Wind gusts over 50 mph were clocked in Dulles, Leesburg and Winchester. Reagan National Airport posted a 59 mph gust.
“One of the craziest 10 minutes of weather I’ve ever experienced. Lightning, wind, hail, .25 of snow, a 20 degree drop in temps and now rain,” tweeted @DCUTV.
....
So what exactly is graupel? Weathercasters everywhere were using this term on the airwaves and TV to describe the ice falling out of this storm. ... Most people are familiar with hail. Graupel is essentially a soft, mushy version of very small hail, about the size of BBs. Graupel is a bit more opaque than hail, solid white vs. the semi-translucent appearance of hailstones.
....
The squall line even put on a show after it passed, as mammatus clouds — more common in the summer — filled the post-storm sky. These pouch-like cloud formations develop from cold, dense sinking air on the periphery of thunderstorms. ... See some examples below.
After the storm, mammatus over @CongCemetery @capitalweather
Jeffrey Halverson, a contributor to The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang, teaches meteorology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Jason Samenow is The Washington Post’s weather editor and Capital Weather Gang's chief meteorologist. He earned a master's degree in atmospheric science and spent 10 years as a climate change science analyst for the U.S. government. He holds the Digital Seal of Approval from the National Weather Association. Follow https://twitter.com/capitalweather
How a freak ‘graupel’ storm turned spring back to winter in seconds Friday afternoon
Hail and graupel coat Interstate 66 in Arlington on March 22. (Janet Rice Elman via Facebook)
By Jeff Halverson and Jason Samenow
March 25 at 12:28 PM
It was Mother Nature’s version of March madness. On Friday afternoon, a fast-moving squall line unleashed high winds, thunder and lightning, rain, hail, graupel and even snow in spots across the Washington region.
In a few places, an icy torrent even coated roadways, transforming a tranquil spring afternoon into a wild winter scene in seconds.
“I just stepped out the door, and within 30 sec, the ground was covered!," tweeted @debramayberry in Arlington.
Link to tweet
One minute I’m working on a PowerPoint deck, the next minute a snowstorm comes out of nowhere and wallops I-495 in NoVA.
cc @capitalweather
Link to tweet
The sudden squall followed soaking, record-challenging rains the previous day. But the sunny, mild morning — with temperatures warming into the 50s — offered few clues that such a tempest was coming.
Forecasters knew that a line of gusty showers with a bit of hail or graupel was possible as a vigorous disturbance dropped through the region. But the intensity of this squall line exceeded expectations. Wind gusts over 50 mph were clocked in Dulles, Leesburg and Winchester. Reagan National Airport posted a 59 mph gust.
“One of the craziest 10 minutes of weather I’ve ever experienced. Lightning, wind, hail, .25 of snow, a 20 degree drop in temps and now rain,” tweeted @DCUTV.
....
So what exactly is graupel? Weathercasters everywhere were using this term on the airwaves and TV to describe the ice falling out of this storm. ... Most people are familiar with hail. Graupel is essentially a soft, mushy version of very small hail, about the size of BBs. Graupel is a bit more opaque than hail, solid white vs. the semi-translucent appearance of hailstones.
....
The squall line even put on a show after it passed, as mammatus clouds — more common in the summer — filled the post-storm sky. These pouch-like cloud formations develop from cold, dense sinking air on the periphery of thunderstorms. ... See some examples below.
After the late Friday afternoon storms hit the nation's capital. @capitalweather @weatherchannel @nbcwashington @CNN @amelia_draper @wusa9 @PoPville @aCreativeDC @BYT
Link to tweet
After the storm, mammatus over @CongCemetery @capitalweather
Link to tweet
Jeffrey Halverson, a contributor to The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang, teaches meteorology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Jason Samenow is The Washington Post’s weather editor and Capital Weather Gang's chief meteorologist. He earned a master's degree in atmospheric science and spent 10 years as a climate change science analyst for the U.S. government. He holds the Digital Seal of Approval from the National Weather Association. Follow https://twitter.com/capitalweather
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