After snow finally began to trickle down onto the streets of Washington, DC early this morning, so began one tough Friday morning commute for thousands across the area. Snow rapidly changed over to sleet and freezing rain (as anticipated) creating a messy soup of wintry precip on the secondary and untreated road surfaces.

And with snow comes the ever present thought of a school day, relished by the millions of school kids around the area. As Doug Buchanan of Channel 9 News put it, we can call this snowstorm the storm that didn't keep you away from fun, but kept you out of school.

Outlook tonight:
Temperatures today were able to crest in the upper 30s under mainly sunny skies and brisk 10-20 mph winds. Any snow that managed to melt today under the "balmy" conditions will rapidly re-freeze overnight as winds slacken, and temperatures fall into the upper teens and lower 20s.

Generally placid weather conditions are anticipated through midweek with high temperatures remaining within a degree or two of 40.

Monster Snowstorm for Boston (Figures):
An amazing set of events transpired throughout the day in the northeast as the low that brought us our wintry wonderland today pulled off to the northeast. By midday, the lower pressure system had begun a very rare weather phenomena known as bombogenesis. This is basically cyclogenesis (the creation of a low) to the extreme. The low pressure must loose at least 24 millibars in 24 hours to qualify for bombogenesis--which is precisely what occurred today over eastern Massachusetts.

The barometer in Boston plummeted nearly 17 millibars in only 3 hours, an absolutely incredibly pressure fall that is rarely seen outside of the tropics in hurricanes. On top of this, the low took on the appearance of a hurricane for a period, noted by the "eye-like" structure over Cape Cod. While this storm never qualified as a true hurricane, wind gusts to 80 mph, blinding snows, and vicious cold temperatures will make this a memorable event for the folks living in the northeast.

When: December 14th-16th
Impact:
Confidence: Low
Commentary: Some numerical computer models continue to latch onto the idea that yet another storm system enters the eastern US during the end of next week. Forecast confidence at this point is relatively low, given the extended nature of this event, but things bear watching. At this point, some snow is possible in association with this system, but current indications point towards more of a rain/snow event.