7:00 AM | *Milder stretch of weather gives way to colder conditions early next week; serious storm threat continues for later Tuesday*

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mostly sunny, brisk, cool, highs in the low 50’s

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, chilly, lows in the lower 40’s

Saturday

Partly sunny, quite mild, a couple of showers possible, upper 50’s

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, turning colder late, mid 30’s

Sunday

Partly sunny, brisk and colder, mid 40’s

Monday

Mainly sunny, cold, upper 30’s

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy, cold, chance for some snow late in the day or at night, upper 30’s

Wednesday

Becoming partly sunny, cold, chance for some snow early, upper 30’s

Discussion

Spring officially began yesterday afternoon and temperatures responded by climbing to noticeably milder levels and this stretch of milder weather will continue through tomorrow. A cold front, however, will pass through the area later tomorrow and its passage will usher in another round of colder-than-normal weather for the Mid-Atlantic region that will last well into next week. Along with the upcoming cold wave, there will even be another threat for snow next week depending on the track of a potential strong storm off the east coast.

By early Tuesday, copious amounts of moisture will be moving from the Gulf of Mexico towards the Southeast US coastline. At the same time, a vigorous upper-level short wave will be dropping southeastward into the northern U.S. from central Canada. There is reason to believe that this upper-level trough will combine with the Gulf of Mexico moisture to generate explosive development of a developing low pressure system somewhere off the east coast by late Tuesday or Tuesday night. The exact speed and location of this potential rapid intensification of low pressure somewhere off the east coast will determine whether accumulating snow will be a threat in the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor or perhaps farther up the coast in New England or possibly not anywhere in the Northeast US or Mid-Atlantic as there is still a small chance that this could turn out to be a harmless “out-to-sea” event. It is way too early to make this determination as to where this low pressure will track and how quickly it will intensify and uncertainty remains high, but a serious threat does exist for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. as there will be plenty of moisture, plenty of cold air, and a very impressive upper-level trough adding fuel to the fire.