Capital Weather Gang from The Washington Post

Daily forecast for the Washington area

D.C.-area forecast: Winter comes rushing in behind a strong front today, cold and windy into early week

The Ginkgo trees are always among the latest to turn colorful, but they are mighty pretty! (Justin Grieser via Flickr)

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

6/10: Pleasant start, but a chilled and gusty finish. It may indeed be that #winteriscoming.

EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: Increasing clouds. Scattered PM showers. Highs: 66-72.
Tonight: Clearing, gusty. Lows: 27-38.
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, windy. Highs: 40s to near 50.

View the current weather conditions at The Washington Post headquarters.

FORECAST IN DETAIL

Enjoy today’s warmth. It could be the most warmth we’ve got for a while. A cold front is about to roar through the region and it will bring with it the coldest air so far this season. There’s a good chance D.C. will snag the first freeze of this winter as we head back to work. And if wind was a stock, you’d want to buy it up as soon as possible.

Today (Saturday): This is one of those days you’ll need preparation for rapidly changing temperatures. If you have somewhere to be in the afternoon, it might be particularly difficult to dress perfectly. Out ahead of the front it’s tranquil and warm. Highs may make a run to around 70, depending on when the front passes. Cold air looks to start spilling across the Blue Ridge by early afternoon. Then it rushes east as the sun dips lower in the sky. We could see temperature drops of around 20 degrees in an hour or two. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: By shortly after sunset, much of the area might be in the 40s (even the 30s out west) with gusty winds delivering a bite. Winds peak in the evening around 20 to 25 mph sustained, right behind the front, then they diminish a bit overnight. It’ll stay breezy throughout, though. Any clouds and showers associated with the front are moving east as we get into and through the evening. Skies should end up mostly clear rather quick. Cold air is rushing in, so we see lows dip into the 20s in the colder suburbs north and west. It’s as warm as the mid-or-upper 30s in the city. 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 the weekend…

Forecast temperatures on the high resolution NAM weather model from early this afternoon through late tomorrow evening. (Capital Weather Gang powered by Pivotal Weather)

Tomorrow (Sunday): Skies are clear and it might look somewhat inviting from inside, especially with some of that bright post-peak foliage still hanging on. But if you look close enough you’ll notice a lot of motion thanks to wind. Wind speeds pick up as the sun rises and they peak in the midday to afternoon around 20 to 30 mph sustained out of the northwest. Gusts seem likely to top 40 or even 45 mph. It’s legitimately cold as well. Highs probably get stuck in the 40s most spots. Warm locations like downtown may kiss 50. Given the wind and the dryness of late, we’ll also need to keep an eye out for fire risk across the area. Confidence: Medium

Tomorrow night: Winds that are still around 20 mph sustained with gusts into the 30 mph zone are in no major rush to disappear. They’ll dwindle overnight, into the 10 mph range most likely. Despite those northwest winds keeping the air mixed, this is a hard freeze for a majority of the area, with temperatures falling to a range of low 20s to near 30 in general. I think D.C. misses a freeze tonight, but we should get one by early Monday morning. Confidence: Medium

A LOOK AHEAD

Coming off a very chilly start, Monday doesn’t offer any relief from our new found air mass. Temperatures remain well below normal, and may even be colder than Sunday. Highs are mostly in the mid-40s. Winds are not quite as gusty as Sunday, but it’s no picnic either as sustained levels again reach up near 20 mph. That probably supports gusts near or past 35 mph. Winds do tend to die off overnight, which when matched up with clear skies should lead to strong overnight cooling. Some upper teens may be possible in the coldest suburbs. Most temperatures range from near 20 in the cold spots to near 30 in the city. Confidence: Medium

We’ll warm things up and calm down the gusty winds a bit further on Tuesday. But in this case warm is still cooler than normal as highs rise to around 50. Skies remain mostly sunny and winds are sustained around 10 mph. Confidence: Medium

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