Margaret Barthel
Another weekend, another chance for the delightful blend of giddiness and/or terror that snow brings to the Washington region.
This weekend, “accumulation seems likely,” according to this afternoon’s update from our friends and fellow snow fanatics at the Capital Weather Gang. And to be clear, that’s snow accumulation, not Super Bowl snack accumulation — though we’re pulling for that too.
Right now, the forecast suggests a mix of rain and snow developing late Saturday night. On Sunday, snow might taper off into rain and then clear in the afternoon.
The National Weather Service has put the D.C. region under a Winter Storm Watch, pending the possibility of as many as 5 inches of snow. The lower end of the forecast puts accumulations at less than one inch, but who needs that kind of negativity when plotting for another masked snowball fight on the Mall? Or a second chance at a Bernie meme snowman?
As D.C. prepares for another extremely exciting but still modest amount of snow, locals are also reminiscing about a much bigger winter storm: Snowmaggedon, a blizzard that dumped more than 18 inches on the region 11 years ago (at least, that’s how they measured it at National Airport).
In typical D.C.-in-the-snow style, some people partied and others pondered their own mortality all those years ago.
The night it started, H St bars ran specials: $1 off beer per inch of snow! (Miss Whiskey’s def did this.) I remember walking everywhere in the street, seeing giddy marines build a snow igloo in front of Smithsonian Castle, going sledding down the stairs in Malcom X Park.
— Marrisa Geller (@mgell) February 5, 2021
I spent most of my days holed up in Saint Ex with a group of buddies, and it was glorious. We also mostly traversed the city on foot, in the middle of the street, going from bar to bar. Simpler times.
— Andy Briggs (@ambriggs) February 5, 2021
I lived in a basement apartment and woke up to be entirely snowed in. My landlords were out of town. I was seriously afraid I’d die in there with the spider crickets, unmourned 😂
— Amanda Mustafic (@AmandaMustafic) February 5, 2021
The pandemic may put a damper on the kind of snow barhopping D.C. enjoyed in 2010, but this weekend could still be a time to watch Mei Xiang and Tian Tian do panda snow luge at the National Zoo, panic-shop for basic pantry items, and dust off your best “Wow! It’s really coming down out there!” comments.
In the meantime, enjoy the panda frolicking:
