STARTING MY BALCONY GARDEN TODAY 28MAR14

THE vernal equinox, the first day of Spring started at 1217 20 MAR 14, and then we got 4 inches of snow on Tuesday, 25 MAR 14 and that was after 10 inches of snow on 17 MAR 14. I've checked the USWX website for the weather forecast for the coming week, temperatures are supposed to be mild so I'm taking the leap and putting some of the plants I keep year after year out on my balcony. I think they'll be fine, the balcony roof should protect them from any chance of frost though there is no frost warning in the forecast so far. I'll see how it goes, hope I'm not jumping the gun!!!!!

Pics of snow on 17 MAR 14

United States : Virginia : Herndon

Friday, March 28, 2014, 9:34 AM EDT

Enter "ZIP Code" or "City, ST":

Herndon, VA County: Fairfax   NWS Zone: VAZ053 (Fairfax) 9:34 AM EDT (13:34 GMT)

77.3873 W 38.9812 N Fri, Mar 28, 2014

Current Conditions

Observation for Dulles Airport, Chantilly, VA as of 8:52AM (43 min ago) Current Conditions Cloudy Temperature 48°F 9°C Dew Point 42°F 6°C Feels Like 41°F 5°C Humidity 79 % Pressure 30.08 in 1018.7 mb Wind Dir S 180° Wind Speed 14 mph 22 kph Wind Gusts 20 mph 31 kph Ceiling 9500 ft 2896 m Visibility 10 mi 16 km Severe | Temp | Dew | Feels | Humid | Pres | Speed | Dir Coded METAR KIAD 281252Z 18012G17KT 10SM OVC095 09/06 A3008 RMK AO2 RAE49 SLP187 P0001 T00890056 =

National Weather Service Forecast
Seven Day Forecast	Issued 8:36am EDT -- Fri, Mar 28, 2014

Today	Showers. Highs in the lower 60s. South winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent.
Tonight	Cloudy. A chance of rain, mainly in the evening. Lows in the upper 40s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph, becoming northwest around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 50 percent.
Saturday	Rain. Highs in the lower 50s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent.
Saturday night	Showers, mainly in the evening. Lows around 40. North winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent.
Sunday	Cloudy. Showers likely, mainly in the morning. Highs in the lower 50s. North winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.
Sunday night	Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s.
Monday	Sunny. Highs in the mid 60s.
Monday night	Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 40s.
Tuesday	Mostly sunny. Highs around 70.
Tuesday night	Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 40s.
Wednesday	Sunny. Highs in the upper 60s.
Wednesday night	Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 40s.
Thursday	Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers. Highs in the mid 60s.

http://www.uswx.com/uswx/local.php?q=20170&x=16&y=7 
http://www.uswx.com/uswx/local.php?q=20170&x=16&y=7 

SLOBOBIAN WABBIT & TANNHAUSER BUGS BUNNY VIDEOS & NEXT TUESDAY'S (25MAR14) WEATHER FORCAST FOR NORTHERN VA & METRO D.C. 21MAR14

SPRING, I am seekingk for you you are hidingk from me....

http://youtu.be/CCtO_WdsdqM
SO Spring, my wuve, weturn to me, pwease!!!!!

http://youtu.be/6jDcWAWRRHo 

Don’t panic, but a ‘Nor’easter bomb’ might bring snow to the East Coast next week

• By Mark Berman

Snow-covered tables in Washington, D.C., earlier this week. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

People of the East Coast, I bring sad and frigid news about what this unending winter might deliver next week. The National Weather Service released a warning that a “Nor’easter bomb” could be in store for the Mid-Atlantic on Tuesday night.
Here’s where I pause for a moment to note that this is just a forecast made several days in advance, and obviously with such forecasts you must remember that they are merely scientific pronouncements about what may happen rather than hard and fast declarations stating what will happen. The NWS notes in its warning that this is all about potential, so keep that in mind.
Here’s what the NWS says:

“The east-coast cyclone has the potential to produce late-season heavy snowfall over a wide swath of real estate from Virginia to New England; that is a generality at this point. Much remains in terms of refining the forecast state by state. Another high-impact factor will be the powerful winds generated by this sprawling, intense circulation, along with high seas, beach battery, coastal flooding, and so forth. Again, at this point, such sensible weather effects are simply attendant to the potential of such a storm.”

(The word “bomb” is used when low-pressure centers deepen at a particularly fast rate, according to Eric Holthaus, who flagged the warning in the first place.)
It’s okay, though, because spring — actual spring, not just the official start of spring, the kind of spring where I can start wearing sandals outside again — is almost here! And with spring comes the salvation of warmth, comfort and — what’s that, Capital Weather Gang’s Jason Samenow?

The spring season will pose challenges of its own, NOAA cautioned today, in releasing its spring outlook…. Drought in California is predicted to persist or intensify and up to half of the rivers in the U.S. are prone to minor to moderate flooding as snow melts and spring rains arrive. Little relief is likely for some of the areas hardest hit by cold.

Oh, and — wait, there’s more from Samenow:

Suppose a strong El Niño event does materialize later this summer or fall. What might it mean?

• Large amounts of heat from the tropical Pacific Ocean would be released into the atmosphere, likely raising global temperatures to record-setting levels
• Above normal rain would be favored in California.
• Hurricane activity would likely be suppressed in the Atlantic

If you’ll excuse me. [climbs into storm bunker, locks the door, sobs quietly]

Next Tuesday’s East Coast storm could be a monster, but could miss

• By Jason Samenow

Yes, a major storm  will explode off the East Coast early next week. Sure, call it a ‘meteorological bomb’.  But the potentially behemoth storm may only materially impact eastern New England.
Since yesterday, models have shifted the track of the storm farther offshore and the consensus is trending towards more of a glancing blow scenario for the Mid-Atlantic – including the Washington, D.C. area.  Yes, a slight shift back towards  the coast is possible.  So the entire Mid-Atlantic and especially the Northeast – where the storm center is likely to come somewhat closer – need to stay on alert.
This is a storm that models suggest will rapidly intensify Tuesday into Wednesday, easily meeting the criteria for what meteorologists call “explosive development” or “bombogenesis” in which the storm’s central pressure plummets 24 mb in 24 hours.  These kinds of storms can produce severe impacts including very heavy rain and snow, wind gusts over 60 mph (especially in coastal areas), and coastal flooding.
But for now, the latest models suggest D.C. could well be spared the storm’s full force.
“For the Washington area, the operational models only forecast light precipitation Tuesday, as they develop the low too far east to spread the heavier precipitation into our area,” notes Wes Junker, Capital Weather Gang’s winter weather expert. ” The models also are still suggesting that the precipitation will fall during the day on Tuesday.  Light precipitation during daylight hours could be either rain or snow but would not be a big deal if today’s runs of the operational models are correct.”
But Junker also cautions it’s too soon to let our guard down: “The latest GEFS ensemble guidance offers a big caveat as a few members [simulations] still wrap up the low and spread heavy precipitation/snow into the area.  Therefore, despite the model trends, the storm still is worth monitoring over the next couple of days.”
(The same holds true for the European model ensemble guidance – some simulations have the storm hitting us more directly.)
Let’s take a quick look at the latest operational models.
* The European model is mostly a miss for the D.C. area (and even eastern New England is just grazed), with just a little rain and/or snow Tuesday.

Storm simulation from European model from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 8 a.m. Wednesday (WeatherBell.com)

* The GFS model mostly misses D.C., but would have major impacts in New England, with snow, wind and coastal flooding.

Storm simulation of GFS model from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 8 a.m. Wednesday (WeatherBell.com)

* The Canadian model is pretty similar to the GFS…just grazing D.C. but delivering a blow to eastern New England.

Simulation of storm from Canadian model from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 8 a.m. Wednesday (Environment Canada)

As we’re right on the edge of this, stay tuned for updates over the weekend.

Jason Samenow is the Capital Weather Gang's chief meteorologist and serves as the Washington Post's Weather Editor. He earned BA and MS degrees in atmospheric science from the University of Virginia and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

United States : Virginia : Herndon

Saturday, March 22, 2014, 12:08 PM EDT

Enter "ZIP Code" or "City, ST":

Herndon, VA County: Fairfax   NWS Zone: VAZ053 (Fairfax) 12:08 PM EDT (16:08 GMT)

77.3873 W 38.9812 N Sat, Mar 22, 2014

Current Conditions

Observation for Dulles Airport, Chantilly, VA as of 11:52AM (17 min ago) Current Conditions Mostly cloudy Temperature 55°F 13°C Dew Point 34°F 1°C Feels Like 55°F 13°C Humidity 44 % Pressure 29.86 in 1011.3 mb Wind Dir SW 220° Wind Speed 8 mph 13 kph Wind Gusts 18 mph 30 kph Ceiling 20000 ft 6096 m Visibility 10 mi 16 km Severe | Temp | Dew | Feels | Humid | Pres | Speed | Dir Coded METAR KIAD 221552Z 22007G16KT 10SM FEW160 BKN200 13/01 A2986 RMK AO2 SLP113 P0001 T01280011 =

National Weather Service Forecast
Seven Day Forecast	Issued 10:30am EDT -- Sat, Mar 22, 2014

Rest of today	Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 60s. Southwest winds around 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.
Tonight	Partly cloudy in the evening, then becoming mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30s. North winds 10 to 15 mph.
Sunday	Mostly cloudy. Cooler with highs in the mid 40s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday night	Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 20s. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.
Monday	Sunny. Highs in the lower 40s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
Monday night	Mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
Tuesday	Snow and rain. Highs in the upper 30s. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.
Tuesday night	Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow showers. Lows in the upper 20s.
Wednesday	Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.
Wednesday night	Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 20s.
Thursday	Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 50s.
Thursday night	Mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30s.
Friday	Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers. Highs in the lower 60s.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/03/21/dont-panic-but-a-noreaster-bomb-might-bring-snow-to-the-east-coast-next-week/?wpisrc=nl_headlines

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/03/21/next-tuesdays-east-coast-storm-could-be-a-monster-but-may-well-miss/?tid=pm_pop

http://uswx.com/uswx/local.php?q=20170&x=10&y=11 

MAY DAY SNOW 2013

IT has been a long time since we have had a cool, gradual transition from Winter to Summer like we have had here in Northern Virginia this year. Usually we go from coll or cold to hot, dripping with sweat humidity in a month or so. But at least we didn't get what Colorado got yesterday, 1 MAI 13. Pic of my sister Sheila's flowers in Bennett, CO.

SENDING YOU SPRING

Click on the link.  You will get a black page.  
Click your mouse anywhere (& everywhere) on the page & see what happens!
Better yet, click (hold down) & drag your mouse over the black page...
Enjoy!!

http://www.procreo.jp/labo/flower_garden.swf