It’s looking more and more likely that the D.C. region will be coated in a sheet of white this weekend, as the National Weather Service has again increased its confidence that a major winter storm will hit the area Saturday into Sunday.
“Major” snow accumulations are forecast, with more than 8 inches likely in many spots in the D.C. area, according to the weather service.
“Significant travel delays, closures, and threats to life and property are becoming increasingly likely. Now is the time to plan to minimize impact on you and your family,” the weather service said in a post on X.
Along with potentially heavy snow, frigid temperatures are going to accompany and follow the winter storm, meaning the effects could stick around for a while.
“The prolonged nature of this arctic outbreak could lead to pipe bursts, as well as increasing the risk for hypothermia,” the weather service warned.
Confidence is high for a significant winter storm for the region Saturday into Sunday. Significant travel delays, closures, and threats to life and property are becoming increasingly likely. Now is the time to plan to minimize impact on you and your family. pic.twitter.com/IEIBukzkzc
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) January 21, 2026
The storm is currently on track to begin in the D.C. region Saturday afternoon, peak Saturday night into Sunday morning and end Sunday night. Snow may mix with sleet and freezing rain as the storm departs the region late Sunday.
“So, maybe 18 to 24 hours of some good snowfall. Of course, amounts we are still not forecasting, at least totals, yet, for your neighborhood, but we’re in that range still for 6 inches plus. So, stay tuned for the forecast. We’ll be able to fine-tune this as we get closer to the weekend,” 7News First Alert Meteorologist Jordan Evans said.
- Listen to WTOP online and on the radio at 103.5 FM or 107.7 FM.
- Current traffic conditions
- Weather forecast
- Closings and Delays
- Sign up for WTOP alerts
Ahead of the storm, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has declared a state of preparedness, which enhances the state’s ability respond quickly to the hazards to heavy snow and ice could bring.
“I am directing the Department of Emergency Management to coordinate the comprehensive preparation of State government ahead of potential impacts related to the incoming weather system,” Moore said in a news release.
The forecast snowfall is part of an extremely large winter weather system that could have catastrophic impact farther south — as far south as Texas.
While snow is likely in the forecast for the mid-Atlantic, this system could coat roads, trees and power lines with devastating ice across a wide expanse of the South, The Associated Press reported.
It’s shaping up to be a “widespread potentially catastrophic event from Texas to the Carolinas,” Ryan Maue, a former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told The Associated Press. “I don’t know how people are going to deal with it.”
Weather radar
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
