Capital Weather Gang

D.C. area forecast: Rainy Monday, turning colder by Christmas Eve- flurries?

Today’s Daily Digit

A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of 1 to 10.

4
Still pretty mild, but you may rather stay in with a driving morning rain.

Express Forecast

Today: Cloudy, rainy through mid-afternoon. Highs: 58-63.

Tonight: Slow clearing, colder. Lows 30-35.

Tomorrow: Partly cloudy, chance of flurries late. Highs: Near 40.

FORECAST IN DETAIL


Radar & lightning: Latest regional radar shows movement of precipitation and lightning strikes over past two hours. Refresh page to update. Click here or on image to enlarge. Or see radar bigger on our Weather Wall.

Rain may fall heavily this morning, bridging this transition between the record-warmth of recent days and the cold air spilling into the region tonight. For Christmas Eve, more winter-like temperatures return and perhaps some ambiance snowflakes float through the late day sky. From Christmas Day on through the weekend, we hit a dry spell with slowly moderating temperatures.

Today (Monday): Rain, heavy at times, is likely – especially early this morning. By late morning into early afternoon, the intensity of rain should diminish and, by mid-to-late afternoon, the rain tapers off.  Temperatures are around 60 through mid-afternoon, trailing off through the 50s into the evening. An inch or so of rain could fall, with locally higher amounts possible. Winds are mostly from the northwest around 10-15 mph. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: Slow clearing and turning noticeably colder. Temperatures are back into the 40s by dark, with overnight lows near 30 in the colder suburbs with low-to-mid-30s downtown.  Winds are from the northwest around 10-15 mph. Confidence: Medium-High

For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend…

Christmas Eve (Tuesday): Partly sunny skies early are followed by an increase in clouds. A moisture-starved disturbance gliding through the region may try to generate some snow flurries in the afternoon (20-30 percent) but there’s virtually no chance of meaningful accumulation.  Highs are near 40. Confidence: Medium

Tomorrow night: I can’t rule out any evening flurry, followed by clearing skies and cold temps.  Lows range from the low 20s in the colder suburbs to the upper 20s downtown. Winds are from the northwest at 10-15 mph. Confidence: Medium-High

A LOOK AHEAD

The period from Wednesday, Christmas Day, through Friday is tranquil, but cold. Highs Christmas Day are in the mid-to-upper 30s moderating to 40-45 Thursday and Friday.  Each day is partly to mostly sunny, with mostly clear nights.  Lows generally range through the 20s. Confidence: Medium-High

Right now, the weekend also looks quiet, and perhaps a bit milder, with highs in the mid-to-upper 40s Saturday and up to near 50 by Sunday.  Lows generally range from the mid-20s in the colder suburbs to low-mid 30s downtown.. Confidence: Medium

Also on Capital Weather Gang

Flooding rain may follow record warmth