WASHINGTON — Wow. What a day Tuesday was to celebrate America’s best.
The
temperatures on Veterans Day through the 60s to the
lower
70s! However, once again, this nice weather will come to a screeching halt as
an
arctic cold front passes our region.
This map shows temperatures on Tuesday afternoon behind a cold front. The cold front on this map is located between Indianapolis and Chicago and moving east. (WJLA)
That frontal system will trek through the WTOP listening area Wednesday during
the day, moving from the west to the east and unleashing some of that cold air
with
it. Cooler temperatures will gradually bleed in from the west during the day.
I do believe that D.C. and areas around I-95 can
still
make it into the lower 60s, while west of town will only top out in the 50s.
One note to mention about Wednesday: Gusty northwest winds will be present as
the front scoots through the region and weak high pressure builds in. Winds
should pick up after about 10 a.m. on Wednesday and continue into the late
evening hours.
The 24-hour temperature change across the United States from Monday to Tuesday on this map. Notice the magenta color — that is almost a 40+ temperature drop. (NOAA)
The cold front has dropped temperatures in its wake quite a bit. The official
high in Denver on Monday was 64 degrees and that was measured at 10 a.m. local
time. The temperature there at 6:30 p.m. Monday was 17 degrees.
While I do not believe that our drop in temperatures will be that dramatic, I
don’t see us getting out of the upper 40s on Thursday.
Temperatures on Thursday afternoon are only in the 40s across the WTOP listening area. (NOAA)
In fact, another surge of cold air will head for us on Friday. Temperatures on
Friday will only top out in the mid- to upper 40s! Speaking of Friday, there
could be a few flurries or some light rain showers early on Friday morning, but
I do not expect that to be anything to worry about.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this cold air is going anywhere. Daytime
highs in the 40s will continue throughout the weekend and into early next
week.
We have around an 80 percent chance to see cooler than normal temperatures (normal = Upper 50s) through Nov. 20. (NOAA)
We will have to watch a low that will track to the south and through the
Carolinas into the early part of next week. Since we will have the cold
temperatures in place, there is a chance that we could get some of the first
snow showers this season.
It is too early to tell, but I will certainly keep an
eye on it.
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