7:00 AM | ****Arctic front arrives here mid-day to early afternoon on Friday…its passage will not go unnoticed**** — Arcfield Weather

6-Day forecast for the Washington, D.C. metro region

Today

Mainly sunny, cold, highs in the lower 40’s; E winds around 5 mph

Tonight

Increasing clouds, cold, chance for a light wintry mix towards daybreak, lows near 30 degrees

Thursday

Mainly cloudy, increasingly windy and turning milder, a light wintry mix is possible early in some of the N/W suburbs; otherwise, occasional rain, some of the rain can be heavy at times later in the day, upper 40’s for late day highs

Thursday Night              

Periods of rain, some heavy at times, and there can even be a thunderstorm, very windy, mild, temperatures holding nearly steady or rising slightly

Friday

Mainly cloudy, very windy and mild to start the day, additional rainfall during the morning hours, temperatures likely to peak near 50 degrees in the morning; expect a mid-day Arctic frontal passage which will result in plunging temperatures of 25 or 30 degrees in just a couple of hours, powerful and potentially damaging wind gusts, perhaps a “flash-freeze” and even a burst of snow with quick small accumulations

Saturday

Mainly sunny, windy, frigid, low-to-mid 20’s for afternoon highs

Sunday

Mainly sunny, still brisk with frigid conditions, low-to-mid 20’s

Monday

Mainly sunny, very cold, upper 20’s

Discussion              

Strong low pressure will develop on Thursday in the eastern US and it will push much milder air into the Mid-Atlantic region on increasingly strong S-SE winds. There is a chance, however, that enough cold air will be lingering around early tomorrow to result in a brief period of snow and/or ice in some of the northern and western suburbs; however, temperatures should climb to well above freezing levels by later in the day.  The rain can indeed fall heavily at times from later tomorrow into Friday morning and a thunderstorm or two cannot be ruled out.  This surge of mild air will likely peak on Friday morning with temperatures likely near 50 degrees, but that warmth will disappear abruptly during the afternoon hours on Friday.

The strong Arctic frontal system that represents the leading edge of an intensely cold Arctic air mass will reach the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor likely during the mid-day or early afternoon hours on Friday.  The passage of this powerful Arctic surface cold front will not go unnoticed.  On the table will be plunging temperatures on the order of 25 or 30 degrees in a short period of time, powerful and potentially damaging wind gusts, a possible “flash-freeze”, and even a burst of snow that can put down a quick small accumulation.  A frigid weekend will follow with Christmas Eve (Saturday) and Christmas Day (Sunday) the coldest for the holidays in many years across much of the eastern half of the nation. Single digits are certainly a possibility in the N/W suburbs along I-95 corridor both on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Meteorologist Paul Dorian
Arcfield Weather