Forecast: Warmer Weather Makes Comeback
So does the chance for weekend showers, storms
After the 50s and 60s of the past few days, we'll look for a warmer pattern to settle in as a more southerly flow pushes temperatures to near 70 today and near or above 80 tomorrow. Mild temperatures linger into this weekend, but like last weekend may be accompanied by showers and storms.
Mostly cloudy, shower? Near 70. Despite mostly cloudy skies much of the day, 10-15 mph winds from the south will transport milder air into the region, allowing for highs in the upper 60s north of D.C. to the low 70s south of town. We can't rule out a small chance (about 20%) of some showers, especially north of D.C., but most locations should remain mostly dry.
Partly cloudy tonight with milder overnight lows in the mid to upper 50s.
Partly sunny. Late-day shower or t-storm? Low 80s. Partly sunny skies along with continued southerly flow on Friday will boost temperatures another 10 degrees or so from today's highs. Most places should reach or exceed the 80-degree mark along with relatively comfortable humidity levels (dew points in the mid 50s). There is a small chance (20%) of a late-day shower or thunderstorm.
Mostly clear and quite mild Friday night, with lows near 60 downtown and in the mid to upper 50s across the cooler suburbs.
Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend into the start of next week. See NatCast for the forecast for tonight's game at Nationals Park.
A LOOK AHEAD
In a setup troublingly similar to last weekend, a slow-moving cold front will lurk near our region this weekend, allowing for plenty of clouds and occasional showers -- especially on Sunday.
Much of the day Saturday should be partly sunny with highs in the mid 70s. Some showers and thunderstorms could develop (40% chance) during the late afternoon, but may hold off until the evening or overnight hours as lows dip to the mid to upper 50s. Confidence: Medium
As the front moves through the area on Sunday we can expect mostly cloudy skies and a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms -- some of which may produce heavy downpours. I expect we'll see slightly cooler temperatures, in the low to mid 70s. Showers may linger into Sunday night with cooler lows in the low to mid 50s.Confidence: Medium
The front should be moving off to our east come Monday, which would mean eventually clearing skies, possibly windy conditions, and highs in the upper 60s to low 70s. Confidence: Medium
By Josh Larson |
May 1, 2008; 5:00 AM ET
Forecasts
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Posted by: | May 1, 2008 7:07 AM
I am so tired of this pattern. When will it warm up and stay warm? It's May!!!!
Posted by: Jen | May 1, 2008 7:29 AM
Happy May everyone!
I just saw a sobering report on Fox 5 last night. They said that the "worst is yet to come" with the allergies. The report said that a count of 100 for grass pollen is the equivalent of a count of 1000 for tree pollen. So prepare to suffer through the rest of this month into June.
I can't WAIT! (/sarcasm)
Posted by: weatherdudeVA (Lake Ridge) | May 1, 2008 7:44 AM
Jen: It usually gets warm and stays warm (with an occasional exception)starting in mid-May. Just a couple more weeks...
Posted by: Jason, Capital Weather Gang | May 1, 2008 8:59 AM
No...plan to suffer past June. The pollen will go away just in time for the humidity levels to spike and open up those awful mold spores. I don't know which is worse.
Posted by: Laura in NWDC | May 1, 2008 10:14 AM
Hey all, I just returned from Suffolk last night...I am a Rapid Response Team lead for the American Red Cross and was in the most severely affected areas on Tuesday and Wednesday...some of the stories of the residents in the Hillpoint neighborhood are especially incredible. If any of you are interested in seeing some unpublished pics from on the ground, go to flickr/american redcross.com. I spoke at length with Governor Kaine on Tuesday; he is a genuninely good "normal" guy, and he is committed to helping them rebuild. I was at Katrina both in New Orleans and along the Lake Ponchartrain coast south of Slidell where the shore is east facing...the storm damage there was obviously widespread from the 18 foot surge (I have some unreal pics of that too), but what I saw in parts of Suffolk reminded me of what I saw in Louisiana. I can NOT believe that everyone made it out alive in Suffolk. That community has been around for about 400 years - they will make it back stronger than ever.
Posted by: Dulles ARC | May 1, 2008 10:33 AM
Oaks around here seem to have peaked. The problem around here is that we seem to get downwind oak pollen all of May due to later blooming oaks up in the Blue Ridge. It could (and will!) be worse. American chestnut (which didn't start disseminating its wind-borne pollen until June!) was largely wiped out by the chestnut blight fungus. The effort to develop and plant a blight-resistant hybrid chestnut in the old Appalachian chestnut forests could lead to a secondary later tree-pollen peak in future years. Virginia Tech seems to be one of the parties behind this new chestnut planting forestry program.
Seems I've never had quite the problem with grass pollen I have with tree pollen.
Anyway, this weekend's weather setup looks interesting per Sterling. We will have a big "stacked" low to our northwest and a possible backdoor cold front to our NE doing battle. Timing and precipitation pattern with the weekend cold frontal passage from our west seems somewhat uncertain. The result could mean a pretty rainy Sunday following a tolerable Saturday south of the backdoor front. North of the backdoor front, it might be raw and cold all weekend. Warm moist air between the two fronts could get lifted and "squeezed out" like a sponge.
Posted by: El Bombo | May 1, 2008 10:47 AM
Still 56 at 1 p.m. I don't think we'll see 68 today.
Posted by: | May 1, 2008 1:41 PM
Oops ... never a good idea to prematurely judge a forecast. 5 p.m. temperature at Reagan National: 68 degrees.
Posted by: Dan, Capital Weather Gang | May 1, 2008 5:03 PM
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Might we see CAD again on Sunday? I remember last Sunday was also predicted to be in the low 70s two days out, and you know how that turned out.