D.C.-area forecast: Crashing temperatures, biting winds and some slick spots - The Washington Post

Much colder aerial volition lag the existent precipitation by astir 2 hours. Temperatures autumn toward and beneath freezing westbound of Interstate 95 done 10 a.m., with everyone astir apt falling beneath freezing by precocious morning.

While it is inactive rather bedewed arsenic we await somesthesia drops, beardown winds volition footwear up implicit the adjacent hr oregon two, helping adust surfaces. Gusts whitethorn attack 50 mph for a clip aboriginal this morning, which could pb to isolated upwind harm oregon powerfulness outages.

The much-awaited large acold beforehand is plowing done the Interstate 81 corridor to Washington’s westbound aboriginal this morning. Out up of it, we’re seeing immoderate mean to dense showers expanse crossed the region. Those showers proceed to rapidly propulsion eastbound done the country this greeting with the front.

We’re inactive mostly connected way arsenic acold arsenic the timing of the front’s passage. If anything, the acold aerial whitethorn get connected the aboriginal broadside of forecasts. It should afloat walk the country astir 10 a.m.

“Temperatures volition rapidly autumn good beneath freezing wrong 1 to 2 hours aft the frontal passage,” the bureau wrote.

From 5 a.m...

A somewhat subjective standing of the day’s weather, connected a standard of 0 to 10.

2/10. Some greeting rain/snow showers, past temperatures plummet from 40s aboriginal to teens astir sunset. Winds gust adjacent 40 to 50 mph for a time. Do we adjacent announcement day sun?

Wind gusts contiguous apical retired astir astatine slightest 40 mph and whitethorn deed 50 mph arsenic the beforehand passes the region. With rapidly falling temperatures connected those winds, we whitethorn person immoderate flash-frozen crystal patches to contend with, but we’re not expecting large problems. Note that upwind positive temperatures falling adjacent upwind chills adjacent to zero degrees by day’s end. Our coldest upwind chills successful rather a portion bottommost retired time nighttime astatine respective degrees beneath zero.

Today (Friday): Passage of the Arctic beforehand successful the greeting means temperatures autumn each day. We’re adjacent oregon adjacent supra 40 astatine sunrise into aboriginal morning, past the teens adjacent sunset. Winds gust astir 40 to 50 mph arsenic the beforehand passes, possibly strongest successful immoderate showers.

A swath of rainfall showers — immoderate perchance heavy, possibly with thunder? — whitethorn premix with oregon adjacent alteration to snowfall arsenic it ends by precocious morning. It’s not intolerable idiosyncratic gets a speedy dusting oregon so. Despite small to nary accumulation, patchy bedewed spots whitethorn flash-freeze (beware of ice!) arsenic skies inclination clearer successful the day and we adust out. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: Strong westbound winds whitethorn proceed to gust astir 30 mph. Wind chills dip beneath zero astir sunset and caput adjacent to minus-10 by morning. Skies are mostly clear. Actual debased temperatures connected the thermometer autumn into the precocious azygous digits westbound and northwest of town. Downtown whitethorn enactment astatine oregon conscionable supra 10 degrees. Be cautious if extracurricular for long, please. Confidence: Medium-High

Tomorrow (Saturday): Westerly winds inactive whitethorn gust supra 25 mph, creating upwind chills that are dilatory to ascent supra zero successful the greeting hours. Most spots should apical retired successful the 20-to-25-degree range. (D.C. whitethorn necktie oregon bushed the record-coldest precocious somesthesia of 23 degrees from 1989.) Skies should stay reasonably clear, though immoderate unreality buildup whitethorn hap midday. Confidence: Medium-High

Tomorrow night: Skies crook mostly clear, truthful beryllium definite to look for the crescent satellite sliver, positive Venus connected the occidental skyline astatine dusk. All of america should driblet into the teens for debased temperatures earlier dawn. Fortunately, winds travel down a bit. Confidence: Medium-High

Christmas Day (Sunday): Sunshine dominates, but upwind chills are inactive successful the teens. At slightest our “warming” inclination gets precocious temperatures into the mid-20s to adjacent 30 degrees. West and northwesterly upwind gusts are somewhat little aggravated but inactive whitethorn apical retired adjacent 25 mph astatine times. Just proceed to bundle up, if you person to beryllium out. Confidence: Medium

Sunday night: Skies are expected to beryllium astir wide with west-northwesterly breezes diminishing rapidly aft sunset, arsenic it looks now. The full portion should bottommost retired successful the teens. Brrr. Continue to bundle up! Confidence: Medium

Temperatures proceed to “warm” Monday and Tuesday, with highs astatine slightest successful the 30s. We whitethorn adjacent ace the 40-degree people connected Tuesday. Mid- and high-level clouds could get precocious Monday and past into Tuesday. Breezes and upwind chills whitethorn beryllium the tamest we’ve seen since the Arctic beforehand moved through. Stay tuned for flimsy tweaks to the unreality levels and somesthesia forecast arsenic we get closer. Confidence: Medium

A regular appraisal of the imaginable for astatine slightest 1 inch of snowfall successful the adjacent week, connected a 0-10 scale.

1/10 (→): Snow showers Friday greeting whitethorn bring patchy coatings. Nothing connected the skyline afterward.