It may be best to stay indoors for the remainder of New Year’s Day, as the rain is here to stay until Friday night.
After a cold overnight served as a reprieve from New Year’s Eve rain, the D.C. area kicked off the new year with another round of storms.
Rain moved back in Friday morning and some of the more northwestern parts of the region — namely Frederick County in Maryland and the northern parts of Fauquier and western Loudoun Counties in Virginia — got hit with some freezing rain.
A winter weather advisory will be in effect from 10 a.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday for the areas affected by freezing rain.
- 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
The National Weather Service forecasts rain will become “widespread on Friday with freezing rain likely” for parts near the Blue Ridge Mountains and along the Mason-Dixon Line, and “ice accretion will create hazardous travel conditions and potential tree damage across the higher elevations today.”
Ice accretion will create hazardous travel conditions and potential tree damage across the higher elevations today.
Elsewhere, expect a chilly rain to develop with temperatures remaining in the 30s to lower 40s. pic.twitter.com/oOYh1zdj7I
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) January 1, 2021
“Rain will push out on Saturday morning as fog settles into the region,” Storm Team4 Meteorologist Lauryn Ricketts said.
Temperatures should rise into the upper 50s to 60s on Saturday, but the warmer temperatures won’t stick around long.
Ricketts forecasts another system will bring chances of rain to the D.C. area on Sunday, with temperatures in the 40s.
“We are dry on Monday and likely dry on Tuesday,” Ricketts said, although “some guidance suggests that we could have a few rain showers on Tuesday — but confidence is low at this point.”
Forecast:
Today/New Year’s Day: Cloudy and chilly. Light rain arriving by midday, starting off as sleet/freezing rain in the far western and northern suburbs. Areas of fog. Temperatures steady in the low to mid 30s.
Friday night: Cloudy with some fog. Rain tapering to scattered showers. Temperatures steady then slowly rising into the 40s.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a few spotty showers. Partly sunny in the afternoon and much milder, with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s.
Sunday: Cloudy with periods of rain. Much cooler, with highs in the low to mid 40s.
Monday: Mostly cloudy and chilly, with highs in the mid 40s to low 50s.
