Dangerously cold winds remain overnight as DC area recovers from 2nd winter blast

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Ice and strong winds gusting to 30 miles per hour remained a hazard in the capital area on Saturday, following Friday’s brutal winter storm that left some parts under nearly 5.5 inches of snow.

But the dangers still remain heading from Saturday night into Sunday morning.

“Temperatures overnight are expected to fall to the single digits and teens,” said 7News First Alert Meteorologist Mark Peña, “and with northwest winds 5 to 15 miles per hour. That means that wind chill values overnight will be closer to zero.”

Peña echoed 7News First Alert Meteorologist Jordan Evans’s advice that anyone who ventures outside “cover up as much exposed skin as possible,” encouraging people to layer up if they have a thermal t-shirt, thick sweater, water-resistant coat, mittens, a scarf or knit mask and a hat.

“Now, this is going to help you out because when wind chill values are this cold, frostbite can happen in about 30 minutes or less to exposed skin,” said Peña.

Community leaders have also encouraged residents to check on neighbors, vulnerable peoples and pets to ensure they have adequate heat and protection from the frigid temperatures.

The rest of the weekend is looking slightly warmer than the overnight hours, despite Sunday’s bitter cold start. More sunshine and less wind is expected as the day goes on, eventually reaching a temperature of roughly 30 degrees.

Temperatures will continue to rise heading into the upcoming week, with most of the region expected to be milder in the 40s and 50s.



Forecast

SATURDAY NIGHT: COLD ALERT
Clear skies and cold
Lows: 10s
Wind Chills: near zero
Winds: Northwest 10-15 mph, Gusts to 25 mph
Clear skies and breezy winds will keep wind chills near zero by early Sunday morning.

SUNDAY:
Sunny and breezy
Highs: 30s
Winds: Northwest 15-25 mph, Gusts to 35 mph
Northwest winds remain breezy with gusts up to 35 mph, keeping wind chills in the low 20s during the afternoon.

MONDAY:
Mostly Sunny
Highs: Near 40
Winds: Southwest 5-10 mph
Mostly sunny skies and higher temperatures near 40 will continue to melt snow on the ground.

TUESDAY:
Cloudy
Highs: mid 40s
Winds: Southwest 5-10 mph
Cloudy skies and cool temperatures in the mid 40s across the area, rain begins after midnight going into Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY:
Cloudy with rain
Highs: 40s
Winds: Southeast 5-10 mph
Wednesday will feature mostly cloudy skies with occasional periods of chilly rain. Rainfall totals will around a half inch. Will be monitoring the rain, plus snow melt for possible river flooding.

Current conditions

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Jenna Romaine

Jenna joins WTOP after working as lead staff writer for Secret D.C. She has been a contributing writer for Billboard and has also worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill where she reported for the Changing America section.

Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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