Democracy Dies in Darkness

D.C.-area forecast: Cool blast lingers a few days, then noticeably warmer by the weekend

Outer suburbs could see spotty frost for the time this season the next few mornings.

3 min
Fall colors on Monday near Georgetown University. (Jeannie in D.C./Flickr)
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Today’s daily digit

A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of 0 to 10.

5/10: A split score for this big burst of bundle-up cooling that will be celebrated by some, and hated by others.

Express forecast

  • Today: Partly to mostly cloudy, shower possible. Highs: 54-59.
  • Tonight: Isolated evening shower? Clearing skies late. Lows: 35-42.
  • Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, breezy. Highs: 53-58.

Forecast in detail

This burst of much cooler air settles in the next few days. Highs today in the mid-50s to near 60 will be D.C.'s coolest since early May. At least the wind is much lighter than yesterday. There’s also a chance D.C. could dip below 40 one night this week (perhaps tomorrow night) for the first time since March 26, while some of our colder suburbs could drop low enough into the 30s for some frost. Warmer air arrives by the weekend.

Today (Tuesday): A weak area low pressure brings partly to mostly cloudy skies and the chance of mainly an afternoon shower, especially south and west of the District. Highs are considerably cooler in the mid- to upper 50s. Light winds are mainly from the west at 5 to 10 mph. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: Still an isolated shower possible into the early evening. Skies eventually trend clear overnight as cooler to colder air arrives. Lows range from the mid-30s in the outer suburbs to the low 40s in the city. Patchy frost is possible in the typically colder spots. Confidence: High

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Tomorrow (Wednesday): Temperatures continue well below normal despite mostly sunny morning skies. Highs top out in the mid- to upper 50s in the afternoon with increasing clouds. A stronger breeze returns with winds from the northwest around 10 to 15 mph and gusts near 25 mph, making for a bit of a wind chill. The air is quite dry with dew points in the upper 20s to low 30s. Confidence: High

Tomorrow night: Another early-season chiller with mostly clear skies, calming winds by late, and lows from the mid-30s to low 40s again. A risk of patchy frost continues. Confidence: High

A look ahead

Thursday starts cool to cold in the morning, but temperatures recover toward an afternoon high near 60 under sunny skies. Thursday night still ranges on the colder side with lows from the mid-30s to mid-40s and another chance for patchy frost in typically colder areas. Confidence: High

Friday continues our sunny story as we climb another step warmer with highs in the mid-60s. Friday night finds clear skies with lows from near 40 to around 50. Confidence: High

The weekend looks like Nice Day qualifiers with plenty of sunshine, highs near 70 on Saturday and low to mid-70s on Sunday. Mostly clear Saturday night with lows in the 40s to near 50. Confidence: High