Norton to Meet with National Weather Service Director on Promoting Snowfall Measurements Recorded in D.C.

Releases Response to Her Letter Urging National Weather Service to Measure D.C. Snowfall Totals in D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—With the approach of cold weather and snow, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will meet with National Weather Service (NWS) Director Louis Uccellini on Tuesday, January 31, 2017, in 2136 Rayburn House Office Building, to discuss strategies for more accurately measuring snowfall measurements within the boundaries of the District of Columbia. Norton is preparing for a roundtable on the issue and wants to work with the NWS to get a better understanding of the snow fall measurements. She is also interested in the possible links to the rising issue of flood risk to the national capital region.

In November, Norton wrote Director Uccellini asking NWS to change its official snowfall-measuring site for the District from Ronald Reagan National Airport to a site located in the District. In his response to Norton's letter, Director Uccellini wrote, "While Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is often referred to as the ‘official' snowfall measurement for Washington, D.C., we all recognize the large variability in snowfall accumulations across Washington, D.C. and the entire metropolitan area…For all winter storms impacting the metropolitan area, we produce and regularly update a snowfall total map that includes observations from NWS-trained spotters, cooperative observers, and other reliable data sources across the area…We hope you will help us work with media, city officials, and other partners to publicize and use these measurements."

"Accurate snowfall totals within the District's boundaries are critical for weather preparedness and weather response, as well as applying for federal disaster aid," Norton said. "Snowfall totals within the District often dwarf the measurements taken at Ronald Reagan National Airport. I look forward to working with the National Weather Service on ways to promote and publicize the snowfall measurements it records throughout the District."