* Wind chill advisory until noon today, and again 6 p.m. this evening to 6 a.m Sunday *
11:15 a.m. update: Today seems ready to fit the bill as just about the coldest of this long, frozen stretch. Late morning temperatures remain mostly in the mid-teens.
The wind chill has lately neared zero at National, where D.C.’s weather observations are taken. It’s also probably just about the “warmest” spot across the region. While the wind chill advisory ends at noon, it is likely that parts of the area will continue to flirt with below zero wind chill through the afternoon. Given the expected return of widespread below zero wind chill tonight, we’ve got another advisory up starting at 6 p.m. and going until early Sunday.
From 5 a.m…
TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT
A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of 0 to 10.
1/10: I’ve had enough of the intense cold, so this is a day you won’t find me outside much.
EXPRESS FORECAST
Today: Mostly sunny, windy. Highs: Upper teens to near 20.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows: minus-2 to 12.
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny. Highs: Mid-20s to near 30.
View the current weather conditions at The Washington Post headquarters.
FORECAST IN DETAIL
It seems like the cold just keeps going and gets even colder. Alas, there is real change on the horizon. Keep that in mind, especially over the next 24 hours or so, while we’re still dealing with some of the most punishing winter weather we see around here of late. Tomorrow’s still cold, but more typical stuff. Then we really start to notice a difference.
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Today (Saturday): It’s yet another “about as cold as it gets around here” kind of day. It is also the last of the worst of this stretch. Winds stay up, and temperatures struggle. We’ll be playing with wind chills near and a little below zero for much of the day. It is at least very sunny! That doesn’t help temperatures much, as they reach the upper teens to near 20. Winds are out of the northwest about 10 to 20 mph, with gusts near or past 30 mph. Dulles stands a chance of breaking its record low maximum for the day of 20. Confidence: Medium-High
Tonight: Skies remain clear, and winds finally die off. This is a recipe for reaching for the very coldest of depths. The one question mark might be the fact that cold air is beginning to move away aloft, which may limit lows. Even so, near zero to 10 should do it most spots. There is a better chance someone gets below zero as well, especially in valleys with snow cover. Confidence: Medium-High
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Tomorrow (Sunday): The weather conveyor belt has slowed down a bit, so now it seems as though Sunday should also want to be mainly sunny. High pressure begins to float to our east late in the day, so it could be that we see increased clouds as that happens. Given the very cold start, and limited return flow of warmer air, temperatures are still quite cold, mainly in the mid-20s to near 30 for highs. Much less wind, though. Almost light! Confidence: Medium-High
Tomorrow night: At this point, the coldest air is strongly in retreat, but everything is still a block of ice, so it won’t matter a ton. Upper teens to mid-20s might feel like spring to some. Clouds increase into morning. Confidence: Medium
A LOOK AHEAD
There’s a slight chance of some showers as soon as sunrise Monday. If that’s the case, we could have some iciness to contend with. For that matter, I’d watch this one until it’s clear it’s not an issue. The ground is so solid and everything will still be cold, so any precipitation that falls might have a chance to cause issues. Mid-30s to about 40 should do it. Some showers could last into the night, with lows settling to the low and mid-30s. Confidence: Medium
We’re in between waves on Tuesday, and also getting more legitimately into milder air. Highs head for 50 under partial sunshine. That’s almost shorts weather these days! Confidence: Medium
SNOW POTENTIAL INDEX
A daily assessment of the potential for at least 1 inch of snow in the next week, on a 0-10 scale.
1/10 (→): No apparent accumulation risks at the moment, but even with some pattern relaxation ahead it is midwinter.