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D.C.-area forecast: Cooler today with a passing shower chance this afternoon

Above-average warmth stays at bay with a couple of cold fronts passing in coming days

By
April 19, 2024 at 5:00 a.m. EDT
Azaleas in bloom at the FDR Memorial in Washington. (Jeannie In D.C./Flickr)
3 min

Today’s daily digit

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

6/10: Occasional sunshine peeking through clouds and a chance of passing mid- to late-afternoon showers.

Express forecast

  • Today: Mostly cloudy, slight rain chance later. Highs: 62 to 69.
  • Tonight: Mostly cloudy, slight rain chance still. Lows: 50 to mid-50s.
  • Tomorrow: Clearing and breezy. Highs: Upper 60s to low 70s.
  • Sunday: Semi-cloudy, slight breeze. Highs: Around 60 to low 60s.

Forecast in detail

Warmth like we saw yesterday is gone for the foreseeable future. Incoming cold fronts shouldn’t bring outright chilly air our way in coming days, but it stays near and below average at times. Rain chances are very limited, with late this afternoon into early tomorrow likely to be our highest rain chances for a while.

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Today (Friday): It’s quite cloudy until a cold front approaching from the west gets closer mid- to late afternoon. That’s also when we have a slight chance of a couple of light showers or even a rumble. A couple of wind gusts from the southeast near 20 mph can be expected. Most spots top out within a few degrees of 65, but the sunniest spots late in the day may approach 70 degrees. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: A couple more showers could pass in the overnight. Cloud cover increases again, and this probably prevents us from cooling much below 50 to mid-50s. Breezes from the southeast calm down with time, especially during the pre-dawn hours. Confidence: Medium-High

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Tomorrow (Saturday): A couple of showers may linger into the early morning, but skies are on a clearing trend. While the amount of sunshine isn’t highly certain, so far the day leans bright. Pleasant high temperatures get back toward average, or in the upper 60s to low 70s. Breezes from the northwest could gust near 25 mph, reducing the day’s enjoyment ever so slightly. Confidence: Medium-High

Tomorrow night: Cooler air arrives more noticeably, with low temperatures sinking toward into the upper 30s to mid-40s. Skies may stay partly cloudy with northwesterly breezes decreasing in the pre-dawn hours. Confidence: Medium

Sunday: This is probably our coolest day of this forecast, as mid- to high-level clouds should allow enough sunshine to filter through — as it looks now — to get temperatures to about 60 or the low 60s in the afternoon. Breezes may be slightly elevated, too. Confidence: Medium

A look ahead

Sunday night: Skies may clear enough by late night to see some of the Lyrid meteor shower, despite a full moon. Temperatures again bottom out near 40 to mid-40s. Confidence: Medium

Mainly bright skies are currently expected Monday and Tuesday as rain-free conditions dominate for now. High temperatures are aiming for the mid-60s to low 70s. Remember that sunscreen, given August-strength sun! Confidence: Medium