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* Winter weather advisory from 4 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Flood watch noon through this evening | School closings and delays *
7:30 a.m. update: Several school districts have decided to close instead of delay. You can check the full list here.
7:20 a.m. update: Snow and sleet are accumulating on the roads in Fairfax and Loudoun. Coming down hard in these areas so it’s piling up, even though the ground is relatively warm. Air temperatures have dropped below freezing in our far western and northern areas.
7 a.m. update: With temperatures running a little colder than expected, the National Weather Service has extended the wintry weather advisory into Charles County, where sleet and a little bit of snow has been reported. Calvert and St. Mary’s are still only in a flood watch.
Snow and sleet are sticking to untreated surfaces in the District. Roads are still okay in the Beltway, based on reader reports.
6:45 a.m. update: The morning weather balloon went up around 6 a.m. at the National Weather Service near Dulles airport. Looks like temperatures are below freezing through the atmosphere, with a shallow layer of air that hovers right above freezing near the ground. Temperatures range from 32 degrees in the outer suburbs of Fairfax, Loudoun, Frederick and Howard to 35-36 degrees in Prince George’s and Anne Arundel.
Since the air is below freezing from the clouds to near the ground, we’re seeing snowflakes fall across much of the metro — even in the District and areas east of I-95.
6:15 a.m. update: The Washington area woke up to light sleet mixed with rain as precipitation spread north starting around 4 a.m. Reports indicate roads are okay in the Beltway, but could be slippery in parts of Fairfax, Loudoun and Frederick. We expect snow in the colder suburbs, with a snow-sleet mix in the warmer suburbs east of I-95. Precipitation changes to rain later this morning.
Forecast through the weekend
TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT
1/10: Rain mixed with snow and ice will not suffice. My advice about going out? Think twice!
EXPRESS FORECAST
Today: Wintry mix slowly changing to rain from southeast to northwest. Highs: 34-38
Tonight: Rain and drizzle, possibly mixing with snow/sleet in colder areas late. Lows: 32-36.
Tomorrow: Precipitation ends early, then clearing, windy. Highs: 44-48
View the current weather at The Washington Post headquarters.
FORECAST IN DETAIL
Even though snow and sleet accumulations are likely to be modest in the immediate area, it is still a miserable day. Slick spots are possible, especially in our colder areas to the north and west. Then, once the wintry mix transitions to a cold, drenching rain in the afternoon, badping winds make it especially nasty. The weekend is a major improvement from that mess, with mainly sunny, dry, calm conditions. The only complaint is we can’t shake the unseasonable cold.
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Today (Thursday): A mix of rain/snow/sleet arrives before the dawn and makes for a tricky commute. The worst conditions, when precipitation is heavy and temperatures are cold, lasts through late morning. The good thing is the ground is not that cold, which allows for melting, but heavier bursts of sleet and snow could cause slick spots. A shift to just rain is anticipated in the late morning downtown but may take until the afternoon in our north and west suburbs, where odds of more significant snow and ice accumulation increase.
The rain this afternoon could be heavy, and some pockets of flooding cannot be ruled out. On top of that, winds from the northeast gust over 25 mph, making umbrellas of limited use against the chilly, driving rain. Temperatures hold mainly in the mid-30s through the day. Confidence: Medium
(The Washington Post Staff/Washington, D.C.)
Tonight: Cold rain continues through the evening, and most areas end up with the equivalent of an inch (adding together the rain and melted wintry mix). Gusty winds shift to come out of the northwest overnight, potentially cooling our north and northwest areas enough for snow and sleet to mix back in with the rain in the predawn hours. Refreezing concerns are minimal overnight, however, with lows temperatures mostly above freezing (32 to 36 degrees). Confidence: Medium
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest updates. For related traffic news, check out Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend…
Tomorrow (Friday): Precipitation should quickly diminish at daybreak but very early commuters need to be cautious of slick spots. West winds continue to gust up to 25 mph and, as skies clear, roads should dry out. Cold air still pours in as the storm moves away, and highs do no better than the mid- to upper 40s. Confidence: Medium
Tomorrow night: Winds die down in the evening, taking an edge off the chill. Mostly clear skies allow most areas to fall into the 20s for lows, with downtown areas settling in the low 30s. Confidence: Medium-High
A LOOK AHEAD
Saturday benefits from mostly sunny skies and very light winds, but temperatures are still cold, with highs doing no better than mid-40s in most of the area. Clear, calm conditions overnight again push lows below freezing in most areas, from 25 to 30, except the low 30s downtown. Confidence: Medium
Dry weather persists into Sunday, with partly sunny skies. Cold air just won’t stop oozing into the area, and this keeps highs parked in the mid- to upper 40s for most. That is about 10 degrees below normal. Overnight lows fall into the mid- to upper 20s in our colder areas, and low to mid-30s downtown under starry skies. Confidence: Medium-High
Monday sees mainly high level clouds increase across the area, and this is enough to keep highs only in the mid- to upper 40s. Confidence: Medium
SNOW POTENTIAL INDEX
A daily badessment of the potential for at least 1 inch of snow in the next week, on a 0-10 scale.
5/10 (↑): Snow is likely to take a back seat to the rain and sleet Thursday but if an early morning burst occurs an inch or so is not out of the question.
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