WASHINGTON – Okay, who complained on Sunday and said it was too hot? (I almost did but stopped dead in my tracks as I could feel the words beginning to come out of my mouth).
Coming off a gorgeous weekend in the D.C. area, big changes are just ahead. I’m going to drop a bomb right now and tell you that this post is about the potential for some wintry mix/snow in the forecast for Tuesday night.
There, I said it. Yuck.
So this is what is going on. We have a very impressive cold front that is stretching from Michigan to Eastern Texas. We also have two upper level pieces of energy – one ahead of the front and one behind it. That cold front, along with the upper level pieces of energy, traveled east through the day Monday and will be responsible for precipitation all day on Tuesday and possibly a brief period of snow on Tuesday night. Behind the front for Wednesday: Expect much colder conditions.
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The forecast shows total accumulation could be about 1 inch of precipitation. However, east of D.C. could see slightly higher totals before it is all said and done.
There is a chance for some thunderstorms in the mix early in the morning hours on Tuesday. The winds will be another factor that we will have to deal with as they increase through the day on Tuesday, shifting from the southwest to the northwest, gusting up to 40 mph on Tuesday night.
As it looks now, most of the rain will be out of the region by Tuesday night. However, if we get the cold air in here before the rain is all said and done, expect a little bit of a wintry mix and possibly some wet snow. I’m not expecting any accumulation. However elevations about 2,000 feet could see minor accumulation.
Clearing conditions will take place during the Tuesday overnight hours into Wednesday morning. The winds will stick around but there could be some slick spots in the region if the roads do not dry out before our temperatures fall below freezing. Tuesday night into Wednesday, morning lows are expected to drop into the mid to upper 20s to the low 30s in the D.C. metro area.
Go ahead and bring those plants inside, or cover any new plantings with newspaper or tarps to be on the safe side. Freeze warnings will be in effect from midnight through Wednesday morning.
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A freeze warning will be in effect.
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Although I do not believe we will see any snow accumulation Tuesday night, we have seen measurable snow in the D.C. area in April. The latest we have seen snow (trace amounts) in D.C. has been mid-May.
Wednesday morning is going to be a chilly one. Be prepared. Winds will still be breezy out of the northwest, about 10 to 15 mph. Considering the temperatures will only be in the upper 20s/lower 30s on Wednesday morning, you can certainly expect wind chills in the 20s as you head out to work or school.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t get much better. On Wednesday, we will top out in the upper 40s to lower 50s (if we are lucky). On the bright side, we will have plenty of sunshine with winds calming through the afternoon hours.
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Temperatures Wednesday afternoon could be stuck in the 40s to near 50 degrees.
Temperatures will still be running below normal on Thursday and Friday (around 60 degrees as compared to our normal temperature in the mid-60s). But we will be dry and just trying to get back into the swing of spring.
I would like to say that this is the last time I will write about snow, but I’m pretty sure I said that about two blog posts ago. So I will just bite my tongue and hope this is the last time I can mention it – at least until next winter. But even then it might be too early.
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