Weird, Wild Washington Area Weather in 2012

Twenty-twelve was a wild year for weather in the Washington metropolitan region.

On June 29, the derecho terrorized the area, forcing President Obama to declare Montgomery County a disaster area.

In the fall, while we were spared the major brunt, Hurricane Sandy caused widespread flooding, downed trees, food and supply shortages at local stores and numerous school, government and activity cancellations and postponements.  

Those two weather events may have been the most memorable, but according to WJLA's website, a number of weather records were set in 2012:

• It will go down in history as the warmest year on record, eking out 1991's average temperature of 60.2 degrees
• Dec. 26, 2012 saw the most precipitation for that date in history, 1.42 inches
• September 2012 was the driest September in history with only 0.05 inches of precipitation
• Since 1871, only 13 years have been drier than 2012 with a total of 32.45 inches (more than seven inches below average.)
• Mid to late March saw the four warmest low temperatures on record
• July 7 saw a near record, with the 105-degree temperature falling just one degree shy of the record set on July 20, 1930.

How does the forecast for the start of 2013 look?

Look for New Year's Eve temperatures in the mid-30s, with only a 20 percent chance of precipitation overnight. New Year's Day should be slightly warmer with highs in the low-40s and a slightly increased chance of afternoon precipitation. The remainder of the first week of 2013 looks to be dry and chilly as well.