Capital Weather Gang from The Washington Post

Daily forecast for the Washington area

D.C.-area forecast: A comfortable Christmas Day, some showers possible Tuesday

A colorful Christmas Eve sunset overlooking the Jefferson Memorial (Erika Cohen via Twitter)

TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT
A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of 0 to 10.

8/10: With some sun and seasonable temps, the weather keeps a low profile as Santa flies high above.

EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: Partly sunny and seasonable. Highs: Mid-40s to near 50.
Tonight: Turning mostly cloudy. Lows: Mid-30s.
Tomorrow: Cloudy, patchy mist or fog. Highs: 40s.

View the current weather conditions at The Washington Post headquarters.

FORECAST IN DETAIL

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! If we can’t have a snowy winter wonderland, we might as well take today’s sunshine and seasonable temperatures. Weather-related travel impacts remain minimal until a chance of mist or fog tomorrow and some likely showers on Tuesday, when highs could flirt with 60!

Today (Christmas Day): No Christmas miracles in the snow department, but all in all, it’s a pretty good day to celebrate. Early-to-mid morning fog may hold temperatures in the 30s for a time. But skies turn partly sunny thereafter, with afternoon highs reaching the mid-40s to near 50. Expect a light breeze from the north-northeast at less than 10 mph. Confidence: High

Tonight: Skies turn mostly cloudy as a light breeze from the east-northeast takes hold. Most of the area should stay dry, but we can’t rule out a light shower or sprinkle west of D.C. For the most part, though, it’s a calm Christmas night as lows drop into mid-30s. Confidence: Medium-High

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest updates. For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast through midweek…

Tomorrow (Monday): Cloud cover persists, with a slight chance of a morning shower. We’ll also be on the look out for some areas of mist or fog developing during the day, as low-level moisture continues to increase. Afternoon temperatures should rise through the 40s as winds start to come from the south around 5-10 mph. Confidence: Medium

Tomorrow night: Areas of mist or fog should continue through the night. But a push of warmer air ahead of an approaching front probably lifts temperatures near or past 50. Otherwise we’re mostly cloudy, with winds from the south increasing to around 10-15 mph. Shower chances increase a bit toward morning as well. Confidence: Medium

A LOOK AHEAD

Our biggest question Tuesday is just how warm we’ll get before the cold front comes through. Northern and western areas that see showers move in earlier could see temperatures capped in the mid-to-upper 50s. But some areas, especially from around D.C. toward the south and east, could see highs near or past 60. In any case, some showers are likely as the front passes, and expect temperatures to quickly drop back into the 40s heading toward evening, with Tuesday night lows in the 30s. Confidence: Low-Medium

Wednesday features weather more on the tranquil side. High pressure slides in behind the front, providing partly to mostly sunny skies, and cooling temperatures back to more seasonable levels. We’ll look for highs in the mid-to-upper 40s with light winds. Confidence: Medium

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