Rainy Weather Makes Mess of Holiday Travel

You'll need to grab your umbrella if you're heading out to do some last-minute Christmas shopping Monday.

A flood watch was issued for much of the D.C. area, but it has since been cancelled. There may be a ponding of water in some low-lying areas. Storm Team4 meteorologist Tom Kierien said the rain will begin to taper this afternoon and end by sunset.

While the weekend's balmy weather set new records, that's all on its way out now. A cold front will sweep east of the D.C. metro area Monday night, bringing much colder temperatures. What does not dry out Monday night may freeze by Christmas Eve morning, so watch out for patchy ice Tuesday.

And while this Christmas won't be a white one, it will certainly be cold. Highs on Christmas Day will only be in the 30s.

Freezing rain, snow, ice and thunderstorms created chaos for millions of holiday travelers from the Louisiana Gulf Coast to eastern Canada over the weekend.

By late Sunday, nearly 700 flights nationwide had been canceled and about 7,200 were delayed, according to aviation tracking website FlightAware.com. But flights were mostly running on schedule Monday morning.

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Copyright AP - Associated Press
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