Capital Weather Gang from The Washington Post

Daily forecast for the Washington area

D.C. area forecast: Windy and sunny today, showers and storms close out March

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

7/10: Sunny and seasonal spring show, but bursts of bigger breezes still blow

EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: Sunny, seasonally cool, windy. Highs: 58-62.
Tonight: Breezy, clear, colder late. Lows: 30-40.
Tomorrow: Sunny, less wind. Highs: 60-64.

FORECAST IN DETAIL

It’s that time of year when springtime variability gives us a taste of many different weather conditions. Folks who want “true spring” should enjoy it, but for many of us, it creates complication as sometimes we need a light jacket, and other times we ponder short-sleeves and shades. We’ll try to navigate the twists and turns the best we can in this notoriously volatile time of year. Today and tomorrow are seasonably cool, then much warmer and wetter Thursday and Friday. A big cold front arrives this weekend, but the coldest temperatures may hold off until later in the weekend.

Today (Tuesday): Mostly sunny skies, but still windy thanks to a tight pressure gradient between a Great Lakes high and a Canadian low. Winds from the northwest range from 15-20 mph with gusts to 30. The winds feel brisk/cool thanks to the dry air from the north. Nonetheless, we still manage to reach highs in the upper 50s to lower 60s. Confidence: High

Tonight: Still breezy this evening, but downshifting overnight to light breezes under mostly clear skies. Lows toward dawn may range broadly from near 30 (late-season freeze!) in the far outer suburbs to near 40 in and around the city itself. Confidence: 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…

Tomorrow (Wednesday): Temperatures only edge slightly warmer with highs in the lower 60s, but lighter winds and sunny skies help it feel much better overall. Calm winds early in the day become light from the south at around 5 mph by afternoon. Confidence: High

Tomorrow night: Becoming partly to mostly cloudy overnight with lows holding in the upper 40s to lower 50s. Confidence: High

A starling at the Tidal Basin. (Steph Schrock via Flickr)

A LOOK AHEAD

Thursday is a transition day as high pressure moves out to sea and low pressure lifts north into the Great Lakes. Warmer winds bring temperatures into the upper 60s to low 70s, but we also must weather more cloudiness and showers. We even have a shot at an afternoon thunderstorm. Showers and thunderstorms continue Thursday night with lows only falling into the warm low 60s. Confidence: Medium

Friday brings more showers and possible thunderstorms as a big cold front slowly grinds through the area on this first day of April. Despite cloudy skies, highs should range from the upper 60s to low 70s again, but if the cold front is slightly faster, we could just top out in the mid-upper 60s. It should get cooler and breezier Friday evening with partly cloudy skies and lows ranging through the 40s. Confidence: Medium

The first weekend of April shifts cooler, with near normal temperatures on Saturday with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s with mostly sunny skies. Mostly clear Saturday night with lows ranging from the upper 30s to middle 40s. Sunday aims for mostly sunny skies with highs around 60 again, but temperatures could shift colder Sunday night as a chunk of colder Canadian air returns to the area. Confidence: Medium

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