Capital Weather Gang from The Washington Post

Daily forecast for the Washington area

D.C.-area forecast: Gray with showers likely, but conditions improve by Sunday

Crescent moon and Venus over the African American History Museum. (Jim Havard)

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

6/10: With a Friday bonus point, fairly gray and in the 60s to near 70 is meh. Perhaps a couple of raindrops, too?

EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: Mainly cloudy. Isolated shower possible. Highs: Mid-60s to about 70.
Tonight: Light showers possible, especially late. Lows: Upper 50s to mid-60s.
Tomorrow: Cloudy with showers. Slightly breezy. Highs: Mid-to-upper 60s.
Sunday: Turning sunny. Perhaps very breezy. Highs: Low-to-mid 60s.

FORECAST IN DETAIL

We are all watching Matthew severely affect the Southeast, with likely little to no impact on our region directly. However, we do have indirect effects, such as clouds and showers, to deal with until a cold front can clear us out — hopefully, Sunday — paving the way to a pleasant Columbus Day.

Today (Friday): Reinforced clouds likely dominate as air off of the Bay and Atlantic continues to wedge eastward into our region. A northeasterly 5-10 mph fetch of steady wind blows, thanks to New England high pressure combining with indirect funneling from Matthew — well to our south. Isolated light showers, especially later in the afternoon, are slightly (20 percent) possible. High temperatures likely hover in the 60s, but a few spots could get to around 70 with a peek of sunshine. Confidence: Medium

Tonight: Shower chances do slowly increase — around 40 percent especially by late night — as an approaching cold front tries to tap into Matthew moisture a bit. Breezes out of the east around 5 mph keep us socked in with clouds. Low temperatures may hover only in the upper 50s to perhaps mid-60s downtown. Confidence: Medium

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

Tomorrow (Saturday): Some showers seem probable (60 percent chance) with possibly even an isolated downpour or two. Much of the area should get wet. Northeasterly breezes 5-15 mph only have a few weak gusts, as Matthew edges up the coast but remains far enough away so we avoid direct impact. High temperatures should be capped in the mid-to-upper 60s again with our “wedge” of clouds and moisture from off the Atlantic. Confidence: Medium

Tomorrow night: Showers diminish not too long after sunset. Low temperatures in the low-to-mid-50s may feel a bit brisk, thanks to northerly winds around 10-20 mph at times. Grab that heavier wind breaker if you plan to stay out late. Confidence: Medium-High

A LOOK AHEAD

Sunday: We are still expecting Matthew to pull away from the coast, so skies have ample ability to clear over us for most, if not all, of the day. Behind our cold front, northwesterly breezes around 15 mph look possible. It could feel definitively like autumn, with high temperatures capped in the low-to-mid 60s. Enjoy! We’ll watch this to make sure it happens on schedule. (Stay tuned.) Confidence: Low-Medium

Sunday night: Autumnally crisp! Low temperatures in the 40s may be on tap, regionwide. Perhaps near 50 downtown. This is thanks to, what we expect to be, a clear night with calm conditions. This allows heat to easily rise and disperse in the atmosphere. Effective cooling is possible! Confidence: Medium

Sunny with 60s probable for Columbus Day and into Tuesday as stable high pressure continues its attempt to stay in control of our atmosphere. We may even have fairly calm winds. Check back in later this weekend, since we’re keeping an eye out for small tweaks to the forecast, as we get closer. Confidence: Low-Medium

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