Many parents have had enough of school delays, but maybe not as many kids and teachers, who may enjoy another day to sleep in Thursday.
Rain and freezing rain will exit the region by 6 p.m. or so, but it will leave behind wet surfaces that may refreeze tonight and lead to icy areas overnight into Thursday.
Temperatures will start to steadily drop starting around 7 or 8 p.m. behind a front zipping through the region this evening. They will fall below freezing rather quickly, especially in our northern and western areas. Here’s a rough timeline as to when lingering wet areas may start to refreeze:
- Northwest Virginia (western Loudoun County) and northern Maryland (Frederick and Carroll counties): 8 to 10 p.m.
- Closer-in north and west suburbs of Washington and Baltimore: 9 to 11 p.m.
- Interstate 95 corridor and areas south and east: 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
High-resolution NAM model’s forecast temperatures between 7 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. Thursday.
Once temperatures drop below freezing, slick spots may emerge on sidewalks, driveways, parking lots and roads (where salt may have been washed away), so motorists and pedestrians should use caution late tonight into Thursday morning. Low temperatures early Thursday will range from the upper teens in our colder spots to the mid-20s downtown.
One mitigating factor may be strong winds (potentially gusting over 30 mph) expected to sweep through the region between 9 p.m. and midnight, which may help dry some surfaces before they can freeze.
High resolution NAM model’s forecast wind gusts at 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Generally, we think the potential for icy spots is highest in our colder areas to the north and west, where temperatures will have barely risen above freezing in the first place today. As darkness sets in and temperatures drop, ice will form readily on wet surfaces.
But closer to Washington and to the southeast, temperatures will have further to fall before wet surfaces can freeze, and the wind may help dry those surfaces before there is too much of a problem.
All that said, here is our SchoolCast — which favors a strong chance of delays in our northwestern counties and a much lower chance from the District and to the southeast:
We don’t see great potential for federal government action, but here is FedCast for the sake of completeness:
