Wintry mix, high winds move into DC area, dropping already bitterly cold temperatures

A cold front nearing the D.C. area could bring in a wintry mix and whipping winds while dropping recent teeth-chattering temperatures even lower.

Here’s what you need to know.

On Thursday parts of the D.C. region will get rain, a wintry mix or even some light snow along with high winds. A wind advisory is in effect until 6 p.m. across the D.C. region, with the possibility of broken tree limbs and power outages, according to the National Weather Service.

A cold front from the northwest is expected to arrive by dawn Thursday, thickening clouds and dropping (already below-average) temperatures into the 30s to mid-40s, according to 7News First Alert Meteorologist Steve Rudin.



Any snowfall isn’t expected to stick in the D.C. area. But roads will be wet for commuters Thursday morning and a couple brief snow showers could pass through during your drive into work.

“Best chances for snow accumulation will be mainly north and west of the D.C. metro,” Rudin said.

Regions far west of D.C. in the mountains are under a blizzard warning, with between 3 and 7 inches of snowfall and wind gusts up to 60 mph expected, according to the National Weather Service.

There isn’t a lot of moisture with this system. Only a few hundredths of precipitation is expected,” Rudin said about the D.C. metro area.

The winds are the bigger story in the D.C. area. A wind advisory is in effect from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. as gusts could reach up to 55 mph through Thursday afternoon. Those gusts will make it feel a lot colder — wind chills will be in the 20s.

The weather service warned that high winds could down tree branches or knock out power. Anything outside that could be blown around should be pinned down or brought indoors.

7News First Alert Forecast

THURSDAY:
Early morning rain/snow showers, partly sunny and windy
Temperatures: 40s to 30s
FRIDAY: COLD ALERT
Mostly sunny and breezy
Highs: 35-40
Winds: Northwest 10-20 mph, gusts up to 30 mph
SATURDAY:
Partly sunny
Highs: 40-45
Winds: Southwest 10-15 mph
SUNDAY:
Partly sunny
High: 55-60
Winds: South 5-10 mph

Current Conditions

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Jessica Kronzer

Jessica Kronzer graduated from James Madison University in May 2021 after studying media and politics. She enjoys covering politics, advocacy and compelling human-interest stories.

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