11:25 AM | **Frozen precipitation on Monday could mess up another (AM) rush hour**
Paul Dorian
Discussion
After several consecutive days of sub-freezing temperatures, milder air will try to advance into the Mid-Atlantic region on Monday, but it will initially run into some serious resistance in the lower levels of the atmosphere. The deep Arctic cold that has been entrenched in the region in recent days will be reluctant to give up its ground early tomorrow as warm frontal precipitation arrives. As a result, the precipitation will likely first begin in the form of snow and/or sleet and then there will be a changeover to freezing rain for an extended period of time before finally becoming just plain rain late in the day as temperatures creep above freezing. Unfortunately, the expected arrival time for this light precipitation is around 6am or so – right at the beginning of the Monday morning commute. There can be a small accumulation of snow and sleet (coating to an inch or so) at the onset of this event early tomorrow morning and then that will be followed by a buildup of ice for several hours. By tomorrow night, expect some light rain or drizzle, but it is not out of the question that there is still freezing on some surfaces as temperatures may drop back a degree or two hovering right near the freezing mark.
The milder air does finally win out in earnest on Tuesday as temperatures should climb through the 40’s despite lots of clouds and more light rain, and then Wednesday could see a spurt in temperatures to near 60 degrees. The warm up on Wednesday, however, will come at the expense of some heavy rain, potential strong winds, and maybe a thunderstorm just ahead of a strong cold front that will be barreling towards the east coast. It turns much colder behind that front on Thursday and the first part of February looks quite cold.