D.C.-area forecast: Blowing snow with wind chills in the teens today, and cold through the weekend

Despite sunshine, temperatures may struggle to get above freezing until Sunday.

Express forecast

Today: Sunnier, windier as snow ends. Highs: 27-32.
Tonight: Clear. Breezy. Lows: Teens.
Tomorrow: Sunny. Fairly calm. Highs: Near 30 to mid-30s.
Sunday: Rain starting as wintry mix? Highs: Low to mid-40s.

Forecast in detail

We’ve got deep winter feels today, with post-snow wind chills in the teens. Many spots may not get above freezing (32 degrees) until Sunday, so melting will be limited — despite ample sunshine through tomorrow. Perhaps a good time for the slopes? Sunday rain timing is still a slightly moving target, along with how much (if any) wintry mix starts or ends this dampness.


Today (Friday): Be careful on the roads, especially this morning. If not over yet, snow is ending from west to east rapidly but we likely remain slick. Temperatures only top out in the upper 20s to low 30s. West-northwest winds may gust near 35 mph, producing wind chills in the teens. Bundle up! Confidence: High

Tonight: Skies remain clear and winds slowly calm below 10 mph late night. This clear, calmer scenario — in conjunction with a fresh snowfall — allows heat to easily escape our lowest level of the atmosphere. Low temperatures fall quickly into the teens throughout the region. Reagan National Airport may see its coldest night of the past three winters! Confidence: High

Tomorrow (Saturday): High pressure is in control, keeping both cloud development and winds suppressed. Enjoy this clear, calmer, January day! High temperatures may still struggle near 30 degrees to perhaps mid-30s. Yet it feels much warmer than Friday, thanks to calmer winds. Confidence: High

Tomorrow night: Clear and calm conditions should be in place for most of the night. Temperatures still benefit from this combo and our still-fairly-fresh snow, easily dipping into the low to mid-20s. A light southerly breeze helps bring up temperatures closer to 30 degrees before dawn. Confidence: Medium-High

Sunday: Clouds may move in quickly, if not already present at sunrise. Southerly breezes help boost temperatures into the low to mid-40s by late afternoon; however, some of the expected rain may start as freezing rain, a few pellets of sleet or snow grains (graupel). We should be all-rain by a couple of hours into the shield of precipitation. It may arrive in the morning, but a later (afternoon) arrival would give time for warmer air to arrive.

We’ll watch this closely, since the timing of rain and exit of cold air from our region is still a medium-confidence forecast. Any accumulation is currently expected to be brief, light and prefer areas west of town. Confidence: Medium

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/01/07/dc-area-forecast-blowing-snow-with-wind-chills-teens-today-cold-through-weekend/?