Dulles Airport drops to -2, coldest temperature since 1996

Birds soar over the frozen reflecting pool Wednesday (Angela N. via Flickr)

Birds soar over the frozen reflecting pool Wednesday (Angela N. via Flickr)

An arctic air mass and fresh snowpack allowed temperatures to plummet overnight, especially away from the city.

Dulles Airport dipped all the way down to -2, its coldest temperature since -9 on February 6, 1996 (that year it dipped below zero three times at Dulles. The other dates were Jan. 9: -2 , Feb. 5: -10).  Even so, it did not break the record for today: -4 from 1978.

Related: Crazy cold: Polar blast likely to rank among D.C. area’s coldest in decades

At Reagan National Airport, it was 14 degrees warmer thanks to more clouds, its proximity to the river, and urban structure.  Its low was 12 degrees,  a far cry from the record of 0 from 1936.

BWI, which plunged to 5 degrees, came a little closer to its record low – also 0, from 1936.

Temperatures have quickly recovered, with noon readings into the 20s at all three airports.

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