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Weekend Weather Mainly Wet Not White
Some wintry precip still possible, icing well N&W

Team Forecast @ 6:15 PM

*Winter Weather Advisory* in Effect this evening through Sunday morning.*

After 5 days of speculation about the possibility of substantial weekend snow, confidence is now high little snow will actually fall. Nonetheless, a nasty storm is still headed towards the area that will produce a mix of precipitation -- sometimes heavy -- starting this late this afternoon. Some slick travel is possible tonight, particularly between 6pm and midnight -- with the worst conditions north and west of DC. Inside the beltway, the bulk (but not all) of the precipitation in the metro area should be rain but a period of frozen precipitation is possible late this afternoon and evening before a changeover to rain overnight.

Winter Weather Forecast: Saturday and Sunday
TIMELINE
4PM-8PM SAT: Light sleet, snow and/or rain, starts from SW to NE. Little accumulation. Temps 32-38 (NW-SE).
8PM-12AM SAT/SUN: Steady sleet and/or freezing rain, changing to rain in DC and S&E. Temps 31-36 (NW - SE).
12AM-4AM SUN: Rain in metro area and freezing rain to rain N&W, heavy at times. Temps rising to 34-39 (NW-SE).
4AM-8AM SUN: Rain. Temps 36-42 (NW-SE).
8AM-12PM SUN: Rain tapers off SW to NE. Becoming windy. Temps 39-44 (NW-SE).
12PM-4PM SUN: Scattered showers/flurries (30% chance), windy. Temps falling to the mid 30s.
Storm Impact:Travelcast:Schoolcast(for Monday):


Frequently Asked Questions


When/where will the heaviest frozen precipitation fall? Most likely between about 9pm and 1am tonight. After 1am, most areas will probably be experiencing mainly liquid precipitation -- which will likely continue, heavy at times, until dawn.

Will the frozen precipitation stick? Some sleet and/or freezing rain accumulation is possible, mainly north and west of DC -- especially during any bouts of heavy precipitation prior to midnight. However, after the changeover to all rain, any ice will melt or wash away (except perhaps towards I-81 where more serious icing conditions are possible).

Where is the precipitation now? Click here for a local look and here for a regional look (at radar).

When will travel be most difficult? Some hazardous travel is possible, particularly in the north and west suburbs, between 7pm and midnight.

What about precipitation type? Precipitation should start as snow or sleet and change to freezing rain and/or rain inside the beltway (and points south and east) before midnight. After midnight, most precipitation inside the beltway (and S&E) should fall as rain. In the north and west suburbs, frozen precipitation may last a bit longer -- until 2 or 3am.

When will conditions improve? When the precipitation changes to plain rain between 10pm and 3am (from southeast to northwest).

Could it fizzle out? From the standpoint of not getting much frozen precipitation yes. Temperatures are already borderline with respect to supporting frozen precipitation as currently forecast. If it's a little warmer than expected because the cold air is not as deep and/or the storm takes a more inland track, then this will mainly be a rainstorm -- even in the N & W suburbs.

There's a 25% chance we see no more than a bit of sleet with almost all of the precipitation rain.

Could the storm bring more ice/snow expected? If the cold air hangs in there longer than expected and the storm takes a track further south and east than forecast, then more snow could fall at the onset of the precipitation and there would be significant icing issues thereafter -- particularly N & W of town. This scenario has a 25% probability.

What will conditions be like after the storm? Sunday will be a very windy and cold day in the wake of the storm. Temperatures will likely remain steady (near 40) in the afternoon, with winds gusting over 30mph. If there is any ice accumulation well to the north and west, some power outages are possible. Monday and Tuesday should be partly cloudy, dry and chilly days with highs 40-45, and lows 20-25.

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