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Die, cherry trees; die: Welcoming spring with lots of snow in March 1958
Capital Weather Gang
Photos: Welcoming spring with lots of snow in March 1958
By Kevin Ambrose
March 18, 2016
The first day of spring in 1958 was ushered in with heavy, wet snow that fell from a storm which occurred from March 18 to 21, 1958. Snow accumulated 4.8 inches at National Airport with temperatures slightly above freezing. Temperatures were colder in the elevated areas just to the north and west of Washington where over 20 inches of snow accumulated causing great damage to power lines, trees, and utility poles. This was a gag photo set up by George Washington University students near the White House. (Washington Weather)
March can be a wild and crazy month for weather. The spring of 1958 was ushered in by a snowstorm that began as rain in Washington but ended as heavy, wet snow. Snow accumulated 4.8 inches at National Airport with temperatures slightly above freezing but temperatures were a couple of degrees colder in the elevated areas just to the north and west of Washington where 12 to 24 inches of wet snow accumulated causing great damage to power lines, trees, and utility poles.
The outstanding meteorological feature of this storm was the extreme amount of water content that fell during the long duration event. At National Airport, the water content of both rain and snow was 3.75 inches. Some local stations reported over 5 inches of liquid content. In the regions where much of the precipitation fell as wet snow, the tree and roof damage was incredible. The storm exceeded the Palm Sunday Snowstorm of March 29, 1942 for losses to trees and utility poles.
A utility pole was brought down by the weight of the wet snow during the snowstorm of March 18-21, 1958. The precipitation began as rain but changed to heavy, wet snow. (Washington Weather)
With temperatures only marginally cold enough to support snow, the snowfall totals varied greatly with respect to location and elevation. At National Airport, where most of the snow fell with above-freezing temperatures, only 4.8 inches of wet snow accumulated. In the hills of nearby Arlington, a foot of snow was measured.
In the Maryland suburbs, 9 inches fell in Greenbelt, 11 inches fell in Silver Spring, 15 inches fell at Fort Meade, and 16 inches fell at Bethesda. Much of upper Montgomery County and Howard County received over 20 inches of snow. At Mt. Airy, Maryland, 33 inches of snow fell and at New Germany, Maryland 39 inches of snow fell. Westminster, Maryland totaled a whopping 42 inches of snow for the entire month of March, 1958.
In the Baltimore area, snowfall depths also varied, from 8 inches at Friendship Airport (BWI) to over two feet of snow in the elevated northwestern suburbs.
....
The snowfall map from the March 19-21, 1958 snowstorm. The storm was given a 3.51 (category 2) on the NESIS scale. (NOAA)
....
&w=1484
The Snowstorm of March 19, 1958 intensified east of Norfolk, Virginia on March 19, 1958. (NOAA)
Related:
March 1958 blizzard was the worst
The amazing blizzard of March 1958
Photos: Welcoming spring with lots of snow in March 1958
By Kevin Ambrose
March 18, 2016
The first day of spring in 1958 was ushered in with heavy, wet snow that fell from a storm which occurred from March 18 to 21, 1958. Snow accumulated 4.8 inches at National Airport with temperatures slightly above freezing. Temperatures were colder in the elevated areas just to the north and west of Washington where over 20 inches of snow accumulated causing great damage to power lines, trees, and utility poles. This was a gag photo set up by George Washington University students near the White House. (Washington Weather)
March can be a wild and crazy month for weather. The spring of 1958 was ushered in by a snowstorm that began as rain in Washington but ended as heavy, wet snow. Snow accumulated 4.8 inches at National Airport with temperatures slightly above freezing but temperatures were a couple of degrees colder in the elevated areas just to the north and west of Washington where 12 to 24 inches of wet snow accumulated causing great damage to power lines, trees, and utility poles.
The outstanding meteorological feature of this storm was the extreme amount of water content that fell during the long duration event. At National Airport, the water content of both rain and snow was 3.75 inches. Some local stations reported over 5 inches of liquid content. In the regions where much of the precipitation fell as wet snow, the tree and roof damage was incredible. The storm exceeded the Palm Sunday Snowstorm of March 29, 1942 for losses to trees and utility poles.
A utility pole was brought down by the weight of the wet snow during the snowstorm of March 18-21, 1958. The precipitation began as rain but changed to heavy, wet snow. (Washington Weather)
With temperatures only marginally cold enough to support snow, the snowfall totals varied greatly with respect to location and elevation. At National Airport, where most of the snow fell with above-freezing temperatures, only 4.8 inches of wet snow accumulated. In the hills of nearby Arlington, a foot of snow was measured.
In the Maryland suburbs, 9 inches fell in Greenbelt, 11 inches fell in Silver Spring, 15 inches fell at Fort Meade, and 16 inches fell at Bethesda. Much of upper Montgomery County and Howard County received over 20 inches of snow. At Mt. Airy, Maryland, 33 inches of snow fell and at New Germany, Maryland 39 inches of snow fell. Westminster, Maryland totaled a whopping 42 inches of snow for the entire month of March, 1958.
In the Baltimore area, snowfall depths also varied, from 8 inches at Friendship Airport (BWI) to over two feet of snow in the elevated northwestern suburbs.
....
The snowfall map from the March 19-21, 1958 snowstorm. The storm was given a 3.51 (category 2) on the NESIS scale. (NOAA)
....
&w=1484
The Snowstorm of March 19, 1958 intensified east of Norfolk, Virginia on March 19, 1958. (NOAA)
Related:
March 1958 blizzard was the worst
The amazing blizzard of March 1958
Peoples Hardware? Peoples Drug I remember, but not Peoples Hardware.
My mom used to talk about the Palm Sunday snow of 1942. No one was expecting that.
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