After a beautiful Spring-like day and lack luster Winter so far all good things do have to come to an end. Yes we are talking the return of Winter and even the potential for snow. The changes start Thursday as gusty upwards of 40 mph deliver our cold air.
Wind advisories have already been put in place across portions of the area starting Thursday morning for the aforementioned gusts above. If you can try to tie down those trash cans and patio furniture outdoors so they don't whip around in the gusty winds.
Even with the wind high temperatures will likely touch 50 degrees making for our last mild day in the 7 day forecast this week. Overnight lows will fall quickly into the 20s and 30s underneath the influence of those northwesterly breezes. Cold arrive Friday with highs in the 30s and wind chill factors closer to the upper 20s as the northwest breezes continue to blow.
High pressure will set up to our north relaxing those winds somewhat late Friday but will also set us up for our wintry weather situation for the weekend ahead. As the winds relax with high pressure to the north cold air will drain down the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This cold air will create what is know as a cold air dam and with a system coming from the southwest that means icy troubles for central Maryland during the Saturday time-frame.
A lot of uncertainty remains in the storm system since we are still 3 days out as it comes into the Pacific Northwest this evening. What we do know is that cold air will be at the onset of the event and that not all of the precipitation will be snow. We also know that the highest impacts will be north and west of the city based on the elevation trends as well as the tendency for the cold air to stick around there longer.
The early call for timing continues to trend for mid Saturday morning with a mix to rain by mid afternoon. Our last two model suites have indicated this but once again some change is likely since we are 3 days out from the event.
Behind the wintry mess comes additional cold. Winds will pick up again Sunday with highs near 40 degrees. After that the bottom falls out with highs temperatures barely making freezing on MLK Day and highs in the upper 20s come the middle of next week. The weather pattern stays relatively dry though once we are past Saturday with the cold becoming the overall story. Overnight lows during this period will be in the mid to upper teens making for some "Triple Layer Alert" nights ahead.
If you like the somewhat above average air take it in while you can. Thursday will be our last day over the next 8-14 day trend as Winter is finally here to stay!!!
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