For the first two months of 2009, Williamsburg escaped any measurable snow. There were opportunities for snow, but invariably snow went either to the south or north (see posting of January 20th). Close but no cigar. Last Sunday, the snow goddess played a cruel trick; the snow fell fast and furious, but the big fat flakes melted in the 5˚ C (~40˚ F) conditions. With Spring Break around the corner the outlook for snow seemed to be rapidly diminishing. Students in the Weather, Climate, & Change course were feeling downtrodden, would there be no snow this winter?
As the calendar flipped to March the prospect for snow suddenly blossomed. By last Friday, it was clear that the atmosphere to the southwest was filled with precipitable moisture and that an upper-level low might conspire with a surface low pressure to make a wet weekend. But would it get cold enough to snow?
Sunday was sodden with a heavy cold rain. Sleet came in the early evening. Snow soon followed, not a dusting, but a righteous and proper snowfall (by southeastern Virginia standards). By morning, 10 cm (4”) covered the ground at my house, the College delayed it’s opening until noon and then in a fit of meteorological myopia canceled the remainder of day at 11:45 a.m. Let’s just have a snow day.
With no morning classes, campus was quiet and white. I spent some time with Thomas Jefferson: a wise man in all seasons. Jefferson’s statue on Old Campus bore witness to the storm. The sleet fell while the air and ground temperature were above freezing, and partial melting ensued. As the temperature dropped, a crust formed to which snow was liberally applied.
As the low pressure system tracked northeast and moved offshore, the snow rode in on a powerful north wind (gusting to over 40 mph). Jefferson’s north side faced into the brunt of the storm, by morning Thomas was wearing a full frontal bib, wig, and muttonchops of crusty snow. Jefferson’s backside (south side) faired better. From 1772 to 1777, Jefferson kept a detailed record of temperature, precipitation, and wind direction in Williamsburg. All these years later and he is still informing us on natural phenomena.
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