7:00 AM | *Powerful cold front arrives today with showers and perhaps a strong thunderstorm...wind gusts to 50 mph this afternoon...winds stay strong tonight/Fri....heavy rain threat Sun. night/Mon.*

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

Today

Mainly cloudy through the early-to-mid afternoon with occasional showers, perhaps a strong thunderstorm, becoming very windy this afternoon with gusts possible to 50 mph, some clearing late today, warm, highs in the upper 60’s

Tonight

Partly cloudy, very windy with gusts to 45 mph, colder, cannot rule out a shower, lows near 40 degrees

Friday

Partly sunny, very windy with gusts to 45 mph, chilly, cannot rule out a shower, highs in the lower 50’s

Friday Night

Mainly clear, cold, still windy, lows in the mid-to-upper 30’s

Saturday

Mainly sunny, still on the cool side, breezy, upper 50’s

Sunday

Increasing clouds, warmer, rain possible late in the day and likely at night, some of the late day and nighttime rain can be heavy at times, highs in the upper 60’s

Monday

Mainly cloudy in the AM with rain likely and some of it can be heavy at times, becoming partly sunny in the afternoon, breezy, warm, lower 70's

Tuesday

Partly sunny, mild, chance of showers, lower 60's

Discussion

A very active weather pattern will continue across much of the nation during the next week or two in part due to a continuation of cold air outbreaks into the central and eastern US. These on-going cold air outbreaks from Canada will combine with increasingly warm and humid conditions across the southern US to make it quite unstable on many days going forward in many parts of the nation and it’ll increase chances for widespread severe weather outbreaks. A strong cold front will advance across the Great Lakes today and to the eastern seaboard with accompanying showers and perhaps a strong thunderstorm or two. Winds will increase markedly this afternoon with gusts possible to 50 mph and they'll stay very strong tonight and Friday. A major storm system is likely to form this weekend over the central US and it should take a northeast turn towards the Great Lakes region while a secondary system forms near the east coast. The result of this storm system could be heavy rainfall in the Mid-Atlantic region on Sunday night and Monday. In addition, this storm is likely to result in accumulating snow across parts of the Upper Midwest, and perhaps a widespread severe weather outbreak in the southern US extending from Texas/Louisiana to the Carolinas on Easter Sunday.

Meteorologist Paul Dorian
Perspecta, Inc.
perspectaweather.com