After a snowy start to the week and a morning of treacherous driving conditions blamed on freezing fog, Tuesday afternoon should stay mostly clear with a passing shower — though the wind might pose a problem.
The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory for the D.C. metro area and most of Northern Maryland until 6 p.m. Tuesday. It said winds this afternoon could gust up to 50 mph, enough to blow around unsecured objects, bring down tree limbs and result in scattered power outages.
“Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle,” forecasters said. “Secure outdoor objects.”
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The WTOP Traffic Center documented dozens of crashes on Maryland, Virginia and District roadways on Tuesday morning attributed to icy conditions.
“Yesterday’s wet roads turned slick overnight and have kept Virginia State Police troopers busy this morning,” said Corinne Geller, a spokeswoman for the agency.
On U.S. Route 1, police responded to a seven-car pileup after Va. 235 near Mount Vernon.
Can’t stress enough how #Slippery and treacherous it has been this morning. Please drive defensive with
• Extra time + stopping distance
• Reduced speeds
• #Caution #VaTraffic #MdTraffic #DCTrafficTraffic🔗 https://t.co/nb3VFR1abs
Map indicates #Ice related issues ––> pic.twitter.com/J5OcUrlj5P— WTOP Traffic (@WTOPtraffic) February 23, 2021
If there’s a silver lining, it’s that clear weather should warm the region back to more seasonable high temperatures.
Scattered showers are possible, but unlike Monday, anything that falls will do so as plain rain for all but the mountains of West Virginia, since temperatures in the D.C. area will rise into the upper 40s to low 50s.
“A fast moving ‘clipper’ type system will move through today as part of the pattern change that’s bringing us warmer temperatures,” Storm Team4 meteorologist Matt Ritter said.
“The system will be moisture-starved but will have enough energy to wring out a few scattered showers in that narrow time frame, but otherwise it will be a mostly sunny day.”
As for Wednesday, here’s something the region hasn’t enjoyed for a while: the forecast calls for mostly sunny skies with highs near 60.
Forecast:
- Tuesday: A few scattered showers, then becoming windy and mostly sunny for the afternoon. Highs in the upper 40s to mid-50s.
- Tuesday night: Mostly clear. Cold with diminishing winds. Lows in the upper 20s to low 30s.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny and unseasonably warm. Highs in the mid-50s to near 60.
- Thursday: A mix of clouds. Breezy. Cooler and more seasonable. Highs in the upper 40s to low 50s.
- Friday: Becoming overcast. Showers arriving toward the end of the day. Highs in the mid- to upper 40s.
