7:00 AM | ****Major Arctic outbreak central US...Arctic blast likely arrives here on Friday afternoon and the frontal passage can be quite dramatic****

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

Today

Mainly sunny, breezy, cold, highs in the upper 30’s; W-NW winds around 10-20 mph; gusts to 30 mph

Tonight

Mainly clear, quite cold, lows in the mid 20’s

Tuesday

Mainly sunny, cold, near 40 degrees for afternoon highs

Tuesday Night             

Partly cloudy, quite cold, mid 20’s for late night lows  

Wednesday

Mainly sunny, cold, lower 40’s

Thursday

Mainly cloudy, breezy, turning milder, chance of rain or a wintry mix changing to rain, mid-to-upper 40’s; rain likely Thursday night and some can be heavy

Friday

Mainly cloudy with some additional rain during the morning, temperatures peak early in the day likely in the 50’s; afternoon Arctic frontal passage could result in powerful wind gusts, plunging temperatures of as much as thirty degrees in a few hours, a possible quick freeze-up and maybe a burst of snow

Saturday

Mainly sunny, very cold, windy, mid 20’s

Discussion              

A major Arctic air outbreak will blast into the US this week. The core of the frigid air will drop southeastward on Monday from western Canada into Montana/North Dakota and then dive southward to Texas by later in the week. The Arctic air mass will then push to the northeast later Friday with a powerful frontal system at the leading edge of the incoming cold air mass. The powerful Arctic front will likely arrive in the Mid-Atlantic’s I-95 corridor on Friday afternoon and its passage could be quite dramatic. Powerful winds are likely, temperatures will drop sharply as much as 30 degrees in a few hours, there can be a quick freeze-up or “flash-freeze” of any lingering wet spots on roadways.  In addition, a burst of snow is possible which can put down small accumulations as the Arctic air pours into the region in a still very unstable atmosphere. Christmas Eve (Saturday) and Christmas Day (Sunday) will be very cold throughout the eastern US with some of the coldest weather conditions for these two days in many years. Single digits are on the table in suburban areas both Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Meteorologist Paul Dorian
Arcfield Weather