Mother Nature is giving the Washington, D.C., area a blast of frigid cold Siberian air for Christmas weekend, and strong winds have caused damage throughout the area.
A winter storm has affected millions of people across the United States. Thousands of flights have been delayed, including several dozen at D.C.-area airports, according to FlightAware.
In the D.C. area, subzero wind chills, tumbling temperatures and powerful gusts are the main weather headlines. Beware the possibility of icy roads and power outages.
Transportation officials in Virginia and Maryland say they are monitoring the weather and sending crews to prepare and respond. They recommend travelers keep an emergency kit in their cars plus travel with fully-charged phones in case of a breakdown or emergency.
A man was killed when a falling tree crashed on his car as he drove along Foxville Road near Tower Road just outside of Thurmont, Maryland State Police said. He was the only person in the car and no one else was injured.
A fallen tree closed Dalecarlia Parkway in Northwest D.C. between Westmoreland Circle and Rockwood Parkway Friday afternoon.
Weather
Latest weather forecast, live radar and weather maps for Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia
By noon Friday, a tree had fallen onto Bradley Boulevard in Bethesda and onto a car in Northeast
News4's Dominique Moody reported that two people were injured after a tree crashed down on their home in Laurel.
Power outages continue as the arctic cold blasts the area. Dominion Energy’s outage map shows there are almost 2,870 customers without power in Northern Virginia as of Saturday at 12 p.m.
Pepco’s outage map showed about 601 customers were affected by power outages.
Some customers in Germantown, Maryland, were without power since about 4 p.m. Friday and into Saturday morning. A fallen tree also caused power outages in Rockville, Maryland.
Almost 9,500 Baltimore Gas and Electric customers were affected by outages as of Saturday night. Here's how to report outages to Pepco and Dominion.
"BGE crews and contractors continue to work around the clock to assess the damage from Winter Storm Elliott and restore service as safely and quickly as possible. Most outages have been caused by strong winds knocking down trees and tree limbs," BGE said in a release.
Here’s what to expect throughout the weekend:
Saturday Weather: North Pole-Like Christmas Eve
Friday night and Saturday will be the most dangerous time for the cold. It could be the fourth coldest Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on record, and the temperature is expected to remain below freezing into Monday.
A wind chill advisory was in effect until 10 a.m. Saturday for the D.C. area. Track all weather alerts here.
Wind chills of minus 5° to minus 15° will be common until late Saturday morning.
Saturday afternoon, highs will barely make it to 20° with wind chills hovering around 5°.
Travelers should take extra precautions during the bone-chilling cold. Keep your car stocked with emergency supplies including food, water, blankets and extra warm layers of clothing. Here’s a guide to what to keep in your car in case you get stranded.
Some folks didn’t let the single-digit temperatures keep them from completing their gift-shopping lists and checking them twice. At Eastern Market, News4's Derrick Ward reported that there was a certain Dickensian charm to the last-minute holiday shopping in an open marketplace setting.
Though the temperature was controlled, outside vendors still had to bundle up. But small business owners and customers alike thought it was worth it.
"At the mall you’re dealing with like large enterprises, but here everybody cares about what they’re doing and they can tell you about the roots and the origins of what they’re doing," shopper Kwabena Van-Dyke said.
Sunday Weather: Still Very Cold But Less Windy
Christmas Day will be almost as cold but with far less of a breeze. Highs will be in the mid-20s to near 30°, with wind chills in the teens.
Grab some sunglasses for mostly sunny skies.
The average temperature of Christmas Eve and Day combined is expected to remain below 20°. That would put 2022 among the top five coldest Christmases the D.C. area has seen since record-keeping began about 150 years ago.
10-Day Forecast: Warming Up for New Year’s
By the time New Year’s rolls around, that frigid air will be long gone.
Temps will reach highs near 40° by Tuesday and 50° by Thursday.
New Year’s weekend is shaping up to be notably mild, but that relief from cold will come with rain chances.
Before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, temperatures will approach 60°. And 2023 will start off with temps ranging from the mid-50s to about 60° all day.
