The D.C. area’s winter-spring rollercoaster ride continues with a sunny, pleasant Friday that will give way to a bitterly cold, rainy and snowy Saturday, before nice weather returns again early next week.
The National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory starting Saturday morning that covers D.C., nearly all of Northern Virginia and parts of Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Frederick counties in Maryland. The advisory kicks in at 7 a.m. and will go until 3 p.m.
“A chance of snow is possible as temperatures quickly drop from the 40s and 50s into the 30s during the morning hours,” Storm Team4 meteorologist Briana Bermensolo reported. “Rain will switch to snow throughout the day in many locations across the DMV.”
The ground is warm, which will limit snow accumulation, but up to an inch of snow is possible in the immediate D.C.-metro area, with 1 to 4 inches possible north and west, according to Storm Team4 meteorologist Mike Stinneford.
Any amount of snow means slippery road conditions, so drivers are advised to travel cautiously. Strong winds are also in store, with gusts ranging between 25 to 35 mph, but maxing out around 55 mph. That means fallen branches could be clogging up roadways.
The District said it will deploy work crews on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. to treat the roads with salt. Snowplows will venture out if D.C. sees 2 or more inches of snow.
The NWS said the weather pattern will leave the area around 8 p.m. Saturday. Roads could become icy late Saturday night and into Sunday morning as temperatures fall well-below freezing. Sunshine will return on Sunday, but the chill will remain.
The wintry start to the weekend is a far cry from an idyllic Friday. Though cool in the morning with temperatures in the mid- to upper 30s, plenty of sunshine helped bring temps to the upper 50s and low 60s throughout the day.
Pleasant weather returns Monday with highs in the 50s to lower 60s.
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Radar
Forecast
FRIDAY NIGHT: Rain developing, mainly after midnight. Lows in the 40s.
SATURDAY: A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for areas north and west of D.C. from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rain changing to snow. Becoming windy and sharply colder.
SUNDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid to upper 40s.
MONDAY: Partly cloudy and warmer. Highs in the lower 60s.
