Whatever your plans for Thanksgiving, don’t expect the weather (or the pandemic) to be particularly conducive to an ideal holiday week: Rain is forecast for the D.C. region from Wednesday night through Thursday morning.
A large area of high pressure over the southern U.S. will provide mild conditions for the next few days and the one major chance of rain will come primarily overnight on Wednesday.
NBC Washington meteorologist Chuck Bell told WTOP that there will be some periods of sun early, but skies will turn completely overcast by Wednesday afternoon.
Temperatures will climb into the mid to upper 50s on Wednesday. The daylight hours will remain dry with rain reaching the I-81 corridor after 6 p.m. and I-95 by around 9 to 10 p.m., Bell said.
As a storm heads into northern New England, a cold front will pass through the D.C. area on Thanksgiving Day. “The cooler air behind the front will take some time to reach us so Thanksgiving Day will remain very mild with temperatures getting close to 70 degrees,” Bell said.
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Most of the rain on Thursday will come before noon, “but a quick shower or two in the afternoon is not totally out of the question,” Bell said. “If nothing else, the mild conditions will make it easy for people to stay outside.”
The sunshine is expected to return on Friday as the cooler and drier air arrives.
Highs on Friday will once again get above 60 degrees. The forecast for the weekend has improved and rain chances have diminished.
“Both Saturday and Sunday are now likely to stay dry with highs in the upper 50s on Saturday and the low 50s on Sunday,” Bell said.
Forecast:
Wednesday: Mostly Cloudy then breezy later in the evening with a 40% chance of rain after 6 p.m. Highs in the mid-to upper 50s.
Thanksgiving Day: Rain in the morning with scattered showers after noon. Mild, with highs in the mid-60s warming to the low-70s.
Friday: Partly sunny with a light breeze. Highs in the low-60s.
Saturday: Cooler with isolated showers possible. Highs in the mid-50s.
