6:00 AM | ****Incredible cold into Saturday with sub-zero temperatures possible in the I-95 corridor...could be the coldest air since January 1994****

[Record or near record lows this morning in a widespread area; map courtesy "coolwx.com"]

6-Day DC Forecast

Today

Brutally cold today with varying amounts of clouds and a few more snow showers are possible, temperatures will do no better than the middle teens and strong winds will generate sub-zero wind chills

Tonight

Incredible cold with partly cloudy skies, still windy with painfully cold well below zero wind chills, lows by morning could reach sub-zero levels of between -1 and -5 degrees

Friday

Fierce cold with partial sunshine, windy early, but diminishing winds during the afternoon hours, highs may not surpass the 15 degree mark

Friday Night

Another bitter cold night with partly cloudy skies, calm conditions, lows by morning in the (positive) single digits

Saturday

After a bitter cold start, skies will become cloudy and snow is possible during the afternoon perhaps mixed with sleet, temperatures will moderate with highs late in the day near the freezing mark; mixed precipitation of sleet, freezing rain is likely Saturday night before a changeover to plain rain

Sunday

Rain likely, milder, mid 40’s

Monday

Partly sunny, colder again, windy, low 30’s

Tuesday

Partly sunny, very cold, near 30 degrees

Discussion

Another blast of Arctic air is flooding into the Mid-Atlantic region and this could turn out to be the most extreme of all this winter. There are widespread record or near record lows this morning in the eastern half of the nation and records are likely in many locations during the next couple of mornings. A few examples from this morning across the Midwest include Chicago, IL at -8 degrees which is a record for the date, -11 degrees at Mount Vernon, IL which is a record for the month, and Cape Girardeau, MO at -18 degrees which has tied their all-time record low.

Temperatures around here today will be confined to the teens for highs and strong winds will generate sub-zero wind chill values. There can still be some snow shower activity today as the Arctic air continues to pour into the region. Temperatures in the overnight hours will likely drop to sub-zero levels in many parts of the I-95 corridor which would be record-breaking territory. After a bitter cold day on Friday, temperatures will drop to single digits by early Saturday morning, but then the trend will be up for temperatures - at least temporarily. In fact, by Sunday afternoon high temperatures should get back to rather seasonal levels with highs in the 40’s ahead of yet another Arctic blast which will arrive early next week. There can be some snow later Saturday as the milder air advances into the region and then mixed precipitation of sleet and freezing rain is likely early Saturday night before a changeover to plain rain late Saturday night which will continue on Sunday as temperatures climb – at least for a short time - to the 40’s.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/HMchQWFULjs