Arctic air and winter weather possible in DC Metro

WASHINGTON — *Rain and winter weathers are possible Thursday and Friday in Metro D.C.
*At this time, accumulating snow does not look likely for Metro D.C.
*Christmas weekend will be very cold, with highs in the 20s and lows in the teens
 

By now, you may have heard that there’s a chance that we could see another brush with winter weather this week. For now, the weather looks like mostly rain for D.C. with some winter weather possibly mixing on Thursday morning. Then Friday, we will see rain with a slight chance for some flakes.

We’ll wake up to rain Thursday morning, as early as 5 or 6 a.m. In areas such as Loudoun, Montgomery, Frederick, Fairfax, Hagerstown, Cumberland, Oakland, Winchester, and Martinsburg. We could also see a brief window in the morning where rain, sleet, and perhaps snow mix in.  

By late morning into the early afternoon, it will change to all rain. The forecast at Western Maryland may hold on to the wintry mix a little longer. For areas such as D.C., Prince George’s, and Charles counties, it will likely be all rain. 

Rain will continue through Thursday afternoon, then taper off Thursday night. 

In the meantime feel free to scroll through the pictures below to better help you make plans. 

Then, get ready for round two! Friday is when a potent Arctic cold front comes in. This will give us another shot at a few flakes and set us up for a very cold holiday weekend.

Friday will start with rain for most areas. As the cold air comes through, temperatures will drop sharply. We could see temperature drops of as much as 10 to 15 degrees in an hour.

If there is enough moisture around,  the cold air could help us transition from rain to snow. The best place for this to happen will be over the mountains and in Western Maryland.  For D.C. Metro, there’s a small chance that we could see a few flakes, but likely no accumulation. 

It’s not the best setup for snow in the Metro, but it’s still possible.  In Western Maryland, and areas such as Cumberland, Hagerstown, and Frederick there could be some snow accumulations. 

A cold blast is on the way. Get ready for temperatures to take a very big dip heading into the holiday weekend.  Highs will only be in the 20s in most areas with overnight lows in the teens. 

1)  Plan on a wet Thursday and Friday.
2) Mostly rain on Thursday, with mixing north & west in the morning.
3) Rain Friday with a slight chance for it to change to snow.  Little to no accumulation for D.C. Metro.  

Check back here for updates to this forecast throughout the week.