A cold front passing through the D.C. area could bring in a wintry mix and whipping winds while dropping the teeth-chattering temperatures even lower.
A cold front passing through the D.C. area could bring in a wintry mix and whipping winds while dropping recent teeth-chattering temperatures even lower. Here’s what you need to know.
On Thursday, parts of the D.C. region will get rain, a wintry mix or even some light snow along with high winds. A wind advisory is in effect until 6 p.m. across the D.C. region, with the possibility of broken tree limbs and power outages, according to the National Weather Service.
A cold front from the northwest is moving through the region, with thickening clouds and temperatures in the upper 30s to low 40s on Thursday morning, according to 7News First Alert Senior Meteorologist Brian van de Graaff.
“This cold front is approaching our area, and it just has so much colder air above that, even though we’re above freezing at the surface, some snowflakes are mixing in with some rain drops, and that’ll be this case through the next couple of hours here,” van de Graaff said.
Any snowfall isn’t expected to stick in the D.C. area, but van de Graaff said “flakes still get people excited.” Roads will be wet for commuters Thursday morning and a couple brief snow showers could pass through during your drive into work.
“So just keep both hands on the wheel,” van de Graaff advised.
The winds are the bigger story in the D.C. area. A wind advisory is in effect from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. as gusts could reach up to 55 mph through Thursday afternoon. Those gusts will make it feel a lot colder — wind chills will be in the 20s in the District and reach the teens further out west.
“It will be rather blustery, and although it is mild or above freezing this morning, temperatures will fall through the afternoon, and then it’s just going to be even colder,” van de Graaff said.
The National Weather Service warned that high winds could down tree branches or knock out power. Anything outside that could be blown around should be pinned down or brought indoors.
Regions far west of D.C. in the mountains are under a blizzard warning, with between 3 and 7 inches of snowfall and wind gusts up to 60 mph expected, according to the weather service.
7News First Alert Forecast
THURSDAY:
WIND ALERT
Early morning rain/snow showers will turn to partly sunny in the afternoon, windy all day
Highs: 40s (pre-dawn)
Temperatures: 40s to 30s
Wind Chills: 20s (teens west)
Winds: West 10-20, Gusts to 40+ mph
FRIDAY:
COLD ALERT
Mostly sunny, breezy
Highs: 35-40
Winds: Northwest 10-20, Gusts up to 30 mph
Even colder weather arrives to round out the work and school week. Highs may struggle to reach 40 degrees for many neighborhoods. Plan for morning wind chills in the teens and afternoon feels-like temperatures in the 20s with a blustery northwest wind.
SATURDAY:
Partly sunny
Highs: 40-45
Winds: Southwest 10-15 mph
Below average temperatures will stick around Saturday under partly cloudy skies.
SUNDAY:
Partly sunny
Highs: 55-60
Winds: South 5-10 mph
Milder air finally arrives Sunday with highs well into the 50s for most neighborhoods. Mild temperatures in the mid-50s to mid-60s return Monday and Tuesday.
Current Conditions
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