What to Know
- Storm Team4 is tracking rounds of wintry weather for the rest of the week.
- Overall, Storm Team4 currently expects 3-6 inches of snowfall this week in the metro area. Areas to the north and west could get more, and areas to the east and south could get less.
- As we’ve seen many times this winter, the rain/snow line will be in play near our region and could strongly affect road conditions and snow totals.
Three waves of wintry weather are expected in the D.C. area this week, likely unloading several inches of snow and causing slushy, slippery conditions at times.
Afternoon rain is forecast to turn to light snow Wednesday evening, with 1-3 inches possible before the storm ends on Thursday morning, Storm Team4 Meteorologist Amelia Draper says.
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A winter weather advisory will be in effect from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service says. It affects much of the D.C. area north of Charles County, Maryland.
Storm Team4 has declared a weather alert. Here's a full list of severe weather alerts.
The overnight storm is expected to have a moderate impact, particularly on anyone commuting on Thursday morning.
Weather
Latest weather forecast, live radar and weather maps for Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia
Fairfax City posted on social media that the pretreating of roads has begun there, along with other parts of Virginia.
"The refreeze is always the worst part. I always say ice is never nice. There's no strategy to driving on ice," Ellen Kamilakis, of the Virginia Department of Transportation, said.
Another low-pressure area is expected to bring wintry weather to D.C., Maryland and Virginia late Thursday night into Friday. Then another is expected late Saturday into Sunday.
“You’ll be able to get out and about at times, but some cleanup will be needed,” Draper said.
Keep your puffy coats and snow boots near the door for the coming days as we cope with freezing cold too. Temperatures this week will reach highs in the upper 20s to about freezing, but it won’t be cold enough to snow the whole time.
Where the rain/snow line falls in the region makes forecasting exact snow totals tricky. Changes of a few degrees may have a major impact on precipitation type, snow totals and road conditions.
"This active pattern will continue to generate some combination of watches, warnings and advisories all the way through the weekend," Storm Team4 Meteorologist Chuck Bell said.
Snow and Wintry Mix Timing for DC, Maryland and Virginia
Multiple waves of winter weather are expected to bring rounds of precipitation, including snow, wintry mix, sleet and rain, over D.C. and neighboring areas in Maryland and Virginia into Saturday.
The D.C. area could wake up to whitened grass and sidewalks Thursday morning and wet snow could continue into the morning. Then, commuters are likely to get a break from precipitation Thursday afternoon and early evening.
As temperatures rise to a high just above freezing, roads could turn slushy.
The second round of storms is expected Thursday night, but that event will mostly impact areas south of the D.C. metro area.
A winter storm watch will be in effect from Thursday afternoon through Friday morning for areas including Spotsylvania County and St. Mary's County, where up to 5 inches of snow is possible, the National Weather Service says.
Closer to the metro area, this system will mostly bring scattered snow showers without much accumulation. Below-freezing temperatures could lead to icy and slick spots Friday morning, with more significant impacts to the south.
Periods of light snow and sleet, with little additional accumulation, are likely to continue for much of Friday.
Our third round of winter weather is expected Saturday during the day, and a wintry mix is possible overnight Saturday before we dry out Sunday afternoon. Rain, sleet and a wintry mix are more likely then.
Three to 6 inches of snow in total are expected over the next few days, but rain could wash away accumulations.
"Lots of moving parts to this forecast," Bell said. "Small changes in the paths of the coming storms could make significant changes in the forecast amounts and impacts."
Stay with Storm Team4 and NBC Washington for updates on the forecast.
