5:30 AM | ***Bitter cold through mid-week with single digit overnight lows***

6-Day forecast for the Washington, D.C. metro region

Today

Mainly sunny, windy, bitterly cold, highs in the lower 20’s with much lower wind chills; W-NW winds around 10-20 mph; gusts to 30 mph

Tonight

Mainly clear, brisk, brutally cold, lows in the upper single digits; well below-zero wind chills

Tuesday

Partly sunny, breezy, frigid, near 20 degrees for afternoon highs

Tuesday Night             

Mainly cloudy, brutally cold, chance of snow, lows in the upper single digits; well below-zero wind chills

Wednesday

Partly sunny, still bitter cold, mid-to-upper teens for afternoon highs

Thursday

Partly sunny, still qutie cold, but not as harsh, upper 20’s; chance of snow at night

Friday

Partly sunny, cold, highs in the low-to-mid 30’s

Saturday

Partly sunny, cold, highs in the upper 30’s

Discussion

The leading edge of a widespread Arctic air mass arrived in the eastern states on Sunday and a wave of low pressure developed along the frontal boundary zone resulting in rain and snow in the local area. Here on Monday, Arctic air has overspread much of the nation with bitter cold conditions extending virtually from coast-to-coast. In fact, today may turn out to be one of the coldest days on a nationwide basis in quite a long time. Temperatures here today will do no better than the lower 20’s and - with winds gusting to 30 mph - the wind chill values will be at much lower levels. Temperatures during each of the next couple of nights can bottom out in the upper single digits in many locations. A strong storm system will produce significant snow and ice across the southern states from later tomorrow into Wednesday and it appears that most, or all, of that precipitation shield will stay to the south and east of the Mid-Atlantic region. Yet another storm could ride up along the eastern seaboard by the end of the work week and this system will be monitored.

Meteorologist Paul Dorian
Arcfield Weather