Bitter cold but bright skies expected in DC area
Bone-chilling cold is still on deck for residents across the D.C. area.
Yes, it’ll be sunny … but that’s not really going to help. A strong Arctic air mass remains locked over the region.
A cold weather advisory is in effect until 11 a.m. Thursday. And another stretches from 7 p.m. until 11 a.m. Friday.
The District hasn’t seen a long streak of cold weather like this since 1989, 7News First Alert Meteorologist Eileen Whelan said.
Bundle up in layers, especially if you’re walking anywhere. Many pedestrian walkways and paths are still being cleared.
There could be more winter weather over the weekend.
“All eyes are on a coastal storm that’s expected to intensify rapidly off the North Carolina coastline,” 7News First Alert Meteorologist Steve Rudin said.
Based on recent forecast models, Rudin said the storm will stay far enough east to limit potential impacts in the D.C. region.
“However, if you do have plans that take you to Delmarva over the weekend, or the Outer Banks of North Carolina, could be a big winter weather maker,” Rudin said.
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Forecast
THURSDAY
Partly cloudy
Highs: 23-28
Winds: Northwest 5-15 mph
A cold weather advisory remains in effect until 11 a.m., with sub-zero wind chills possible through the morning hours. Temperatures will start out in the single digits to low teens, then climb this afternoon, topping out in the mid-20s.
OVERNIGHT
Mainly clear
Lows: 3-12
Wind Chills: -10 to 0
Winds: West 5-10 mph
The cold weather express keeps rolling across the D.C. region Thursday night into early Friday morning, with frigid air locked in place for yet another round. Wind chills are forecast to stay below zero for much of the night. A cold weather advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service beginning at 7 p.m. and extending until Friday at 11 a.m.
FRIDAY
Partly cloudy
Highs: 23-28
Winds: Northwest 5-15 mph
As the workweek wraps up, the cold isn’t letting up. Expect single-digit air temperatures early, along with sub-zero wind chills to start the morning. Even with some sunshine this afternoon, it will stay bitter—highs will run roughly 20 degrees below average for late January, so it will still feel like the deep freeze is firmly in place heading into the weekend.
SATURDAY
Mostly cloudy
PM snow chance
Highs: 17-22
Winds: North 5-10 mph
The First Alert Weather team will be watching for a coastal storm to begin taking shape near the Carolina coastline. For the D.C. region, Saturday is still trending toward limited impacts, since many model solutions keep the storm track just far enough offshore and/or south. Still, Saturday is the start of the window where even a small shift in the storm’s track could start to matter.
SUNDAY
Partly sunny, blustery
Chance snow, mainly east of D.C.
Highs: 20-25
Winds: Northwest 15-20, gusts to 40 mph
Sunday looks like the time when the storm would be strongest as it races northeast along or near the East Coast. If it comes far enough north, snow chances would be higher in the DMV on Sunday, and there could be a sharp cutoff—meaning some neighborhoods could see just a coating while others, not far away, could pick up several inches. Right now, the better odds for more impactful snow remain south of the D.C. region, mainly from southern Virginia into the Carolinas.
Current Conditions
WTOP’s Will Vitka and Ciara Wells contributed to this report.