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The week ahead: snow drought to continue...

Jason Samenow @ 6:07 AM

If you're not a fan of cold and snow, this has been "one heckuva" winter. The week ahead forecast is like the past several: it features generally mild conditions that are interrupted by only glancing shots of cold air, and nothing significant in the way of snow.

Today


Dense fog this morning will give away to partly sunny skies and very mild temperatures. Expect a high near 60 and crowded outdoor tables come lunchtime. Tonight, look for increasing clouds ahead of a developing area of low pressure to our south. Rain should move in after midnight, with lows in the low 40s.

Tomorrow


The low to our south will move offshore and intensify. But even as our winds shift to northwest, there probably won't be enough cold air to change the precipitation to snow (except well north and west of here...maybe briefly in places like Frederick and Leesburg). In any event, the rain should end by mid morning with cool temperatures and gusty winds in the wake of the storm. Expect steady temperatures in the low 40s. Tomorrow night should be clear and seasonably cold, with lows in the upper 20s downtown and mid 20s in the suburbs.

Wednesday


High pressure will be in control and temperatures will return to above average levels under sunny skies. Expect highs near 50. Overnight, it will be clear and cool, with lows near 30 downtown and in the mid 20s in the suburbs.

Thursday


As the high moves offshore and we get into southerly flow, temperatures will once again reach much above average levels. Highs should be in the mid 50s. With southerly winds and increasing clouds, temperatures should not be particularly cold Thursday night -- look for lows in the mid 40s.

Friday


Low pressure developing to the southwest will likely bring rain showers as it moves northward up the Appalachians. Highs should be near 50. Friday night, rain showers should continue until late as a cold front passes by, with lows in the low 40s.

Saturday


Behind the cold front, it is likely to be breezy and cooler -- with nearly steady temperatures holding in the 40s. Overnight, it should be clear and quite cold, with lows in the mid 20s downtown to near 20 in the suburbs.

Sunday


Cold high pressure will likely be in control, with highs only 35-40.

(Note about the Friday-Sunday forecast: the timing of the front and associated low is a bit uncertain. It may not pass through until later on Saturday which would extend the rain into Saturday and delay the arrival of the cold air until Saturday night or even Sunday.)

Climatology


The average high this week is in the low 40s, with average lows in the upper 20s downtown and mid 20s in the suburbs.

Last week's poll results


200 people voted. 100 believe winter isn't over "by a long shot". 67 said to "stick a fork" in winter whereas 34 voted "none of the above." So half of CapitalWeather.com visitors are confident that winter will make a strong return while the over half is either ambivalent or incredulous. A new poll will appear some time today.

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