Capital Weather Gang from The Washington Post

Daily forecast for the Washington area

D.C.-area forecast: Cooler but refreshing today! Warming trend starts this weekend.

Marine One leaves the White House on Oct. 13. (John Sonderman via Flickr)

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

9/10: Looks pretty perfect, but perhaps too cool for some of you? Enjoy a sunny, fall Friday! Ohhh, yeahhh!

EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: Mostly sunny, slight breeze. Highs: Near 60 to mid-60s.
Tonight: Mostly clear, turning calm. Lows: Upper 30s to upper 40s.
Tomorrow: More sun than clouds. Highs: Mid-60s to around 70.
Sunday: Mainly sunny and still pleasant. Highs: Upper 60s to mid-70s.

FORECAST IN DETAIL

Cool today, but a warming trend moves in shortly — promise. Crisp, autumnal high pressure is setting up shop for a while, which should keep us sunny and dry with breezes generally pleasant and under control. October at its finest?!

Today (Friday): Similar to, say, this past Monday, it may feel pleasantly cool under mostly sunny skies. Perhaps a periodic, thin veil of high clouds, but don’t worry. Temperatures should get from morning 50s to afternoon readings near 60 to the mid-60s. You may not need that morning light jacket on the way home! Arguably a great, beautiful day despite slightly below-average high temperatures. Some folks may fall below official Nice Day criteria (65-85 degrees) but it’s close enough for a Friday. Light north breezes around 5 mph are probable. Confidence: High

Tonight: Mostly clear skies look great for stargazing! Northeasterly breezes around 5 mph in the evening, calm by late night. This clear and calm scenario allows the atmosphere to effectively cool off (no cloud insulation and no wind stirring it up). As such, we see temperatures dropping into the chilly upper 30s in colder outlying areas while staying in the mid-to-upper 40s around the Beltway. Confidence: High

For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast into next week.

nice day Tomorrow (Saturday): Only a few periodic clouds, otherwise bright and awesome. High temperatures should get toward the mid-60s to around 70 degrees for almost everyone. Nearly calm morning breezes around 5 mph may start to blow from the southeast during the afternoon. Confidence: Medium-High

Tomorrow night: Under fairly clear skies, here comes our hunter’s moon, which will be full and rising in the east during the evening. A light southerly wind near 5 mph will help stir the atmosphere enough so that we don’t get as chilly. Low temperatures likely reach the lower 50s downtown, with mid-40s outside of the Beltway. Confidence: Medium-High

A LOOK AHEAD

Sunday: Dry, mainly sunny conditions continue with a tad bit warmer (as the trend looks!) temperatures possible, in the upper 60s to perhaps some mid-70s — especially south of town. Winds appear to want to stay light as it appears now. If you haven’t had a frost yet, you may want to consider watering your garden. Or going for a hike. Maybe both! Confidence: Medium-High

Sunday night: Let’s leave the windows open! Low temperatures should stay in the 50s, region-wide. Perhaps upper 50s downtown — but still! A clear, dry fall night with partly cloudy skies. Confidence: Medium

Solid warmth is probable for Monday and into Tuesday as we have a chance that southerly breezes pick up. High temperatures in the mid-70s to low 80s cannot be ruled out. However, clouds do increase a bit, along with shower chances. Tuesday could prove a bit clearer and with a lower shower chance. Still, not a bad autumnal air regime! We’ll keep an eye out for some needed rain, and tweak the forecast as needed, but so far chances are low. Confidence: Low-Medium

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