In the warmth category, which always seems important in winter, Saturday in the nation’s capital managed to outdo Friday.
Washington, D.C
Saturday was even warmer than Friday
On the other hand, while 64 degrees clamors for attention, it is not without recent precedent. Only last year, according to National Weather Service records, the high on Feb. 10 was 65. That was even warmer than Saturday.
While warm, as was Friday, Washington’s Saturday appeared warm in its own way. It was no duplicate of its predecessor. Friday, at many hours, showed blue skies and offered bright sunshine. It often resembled one of the common images of early spring.
But on Saturday it was difficult to see the skies anything but gray and sunless. So while the mild air created a fair facsimile of early April, the dim skies seemed a reminder of reality and February.
Saturday was a day with the feel of spring and the look of winter.
Different dates have been adopted for the actual start of spring. The vernal equinox, with its dependence on the position of the sun, is the start of what is called astronomical spring.
In Washington, the equinox, falling on March 19 this year, was more than five weeks from Saturday.
Meteorologists on the other hand, consider the first day of spring to be March 1. Even under that convention the new season was still 20 days distant.
Nevertheless, it was difficult to dismiss all thought of spring on Saturday, when a 63-degree day in early February was followed by a day that was even warmer. Despite the clouds.