Arctic blast threatens flash freeze Friday in D.C. and then subzero wind chills - The Washington Post

Friday’s highest temperatures volition travel earlier dawn. It’s the weird benignant of time that temperatures statesman dropping connected fierce winds erstwhile the prima is up and support doing truthful until it goes backmost down. By Friday evening, dangerously acold upwind chills adjacent zero volition grip to the full region.

The acold beforehand whitethorn besides present a small spot of snowfall and the imaginable for a flash frost arsenic it moves by Friday greeting — perchance creating areas of hazardous travel. The beforehand volition surely bring the D.C. country the coldest Christmas vacation since astatine slightest 1989.

Showers on the Arctic beforehand volition expanse crossed the country betwixt astir 6 a.m. and noon Friday. Temperatures whitethorn chill rapidly capable for immoderate snowfall to autumn arsenic acold aerial spills westward.

The National Weather Service has issued a upwind advisory from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Friday for the imaginable of upwind gusts up to 50 mph. "Gusty winds could stroke astir unsecured objects. Tree limbs could beryllium blown down. A fewer powerfulness outages whitethorn result,” they warn.

The large communicative volition beryllium however accelerated temperatures fall. Here’s a timeline:

5 to 7 a.m.: Temperatures hover adjacent 40 arsenic the Arctic beforehand races this mode from the west. Winds gust upward of 40 mph portion a fewer showers develop.

7 to 9 a.m.: The acold beforehand punches done occidental parts of the country and rapidly progresses eastward to adjacent the District. Temperatures autumn rapidly done the 30s. Showers whitethorn beryllium locally dense arsenic the beforehand passes, with adjacent a tiny accidental of immoderate thunder and tiny hail. Winds gust upward of 40 mph with isolated histrion harm and powerfulness outages possible.

9 to 11 a.m.: Front races done areas eastbound of Interstate 95. Any lingering rainfall showers whitethorn crook concisely to snowfall arsenic temperatures autumn into the mid-20s to adjacent 30. However, it’s uncertain however much, if any, snowfall volition materialize. At most, a dusting could occur.

If it’s snowing arsenic temperatures autumn beneath 32 degrees and/or the pavement remains bedewed from earlier rain, slick spots could signifier connected roads. However, if precipitation ends earlier temperatures autumn beneath freezing, beardown winds whitethorn assistance adust pavement, minimizing the flash-freeze threat. Wind chills autumn done the teens, with winds gusting adjacent 40 mph.

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Any snowfall should person ended and skies inclination clearer. By 1 p.m., temperatures scope from the teens to the 20s, northwest to southeast. Gusts are astir 35-45 mph.

1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Temperatures autumn disconnected to the teens areawide by astir sunset, nether chiefly wide skies. Wind chills could beryllium wrong respective degrees of zero by midafternoon, earlier dipping beneath zero areawide by nightfall. Winds are inactive gusting astir 35 mph.

If question is simply a indispensable Friday day into Friday night, hole for the anticipation of being stuck successful utmost acold and precocious winds. Carry a wintertime exigency kit. Temperatures are expected to beryllium astir 35 to 40 degrees colder than 24 hours prior, and that’s without the upwind chill.

“[I]t volition beryllium dangerously cold,” the National Weather Service forecast bureau serving the portion wrote. “Even into the metros we could spot upwind chills into the negatives Friday evening and into Friday night.”

By Saturday, we aftermath up to upwind chills ranging from astir zero to minus-15. Wind chills of minus-40 to minus-50 are imaginable successful precocious elevations of West Virginia.

The wide forecast for Friday into the play has trended colder successful the past 2 days. The forecast present calls for lows successful the azygous digits and little teens. These are near-record lows for the day crossed the region.

Washington’s grounds debased of 5 successful 1983 is astir apt safe, but a somesthesia of 11 oregon little would beryllium arsenic acold arsenic it has been successful December since 2000.

Saturday’s precocious temperatures are much apt to endanger records. They whitethorn conflict to surpass the debased 20s, adjacent to the Dec. 24 grounds of 23 for the District, acceptable successful 1989. Well northbound and westbound of the city, parts of the country whitethorn enactment successful the teens.

Winds blowing astir 10 to 20 mph, with gusts astir 30 mph done Saturday, support upwind chills successful the azygous digits to adjacent 10 astatine the most.

Conditions are akin but somewhat milder for Christmas morning. Lows are chiefly successful the debased and mediate teens with upwind chills successful the azygous digits. Christmas Day highs should scope the mid- and precocious 20s.

Both days are mostly to partially sunny, with possibly an extracurricular changeable astatine a passing snowfall flurry.