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Sunny weather returns to DC region after stormy Christmas weekend

After a rainy and windy start to the Christmas weekend, the D.C. region received some relief with more pleasant conditions on Sunday. Christmas Eve brought severe weather and heavy rainfall as temperatures plummeted to the 20s in the early-morning hours. Snow flurries touched down on Christmas Day, while windy conditions made Saturday one of the coldest nights of the year. However, Sunday and Monday will feature the sun’s return, bringing daytime highs into the mid 40s, Storm Team4 meteorologist Somara Theodore said.



Monday should be slightly warmer with highs in the low 50s, but there could be some precipitation. Two days of slightly warmer weather came after Saturday’s low temperatures for locations west of D.C. touched the high teens, while the District dropped close to 20. While recent conditions have been colder, National Weather Service statistics show that before the last week, the coldest months of 2020 were still relatively warm.

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At the beginning of 2020, average temperatures for January and February, recorded at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, were 5 to 7 degrees above normal. Before Saturday, the lowest temperature checked in at 22 on Feb. 15. On Saturday night and early Sunday morning, the local branch of the NWS recorded temperatures in the teens west of D.C. and just above 20 in the District. After Sunday and Monday’s warmer temperatures, cold winds are due to return on Tuesday, which should shift temperatures back toward freezing again. New Year’s Eve, on Thursday, could be dampened by cold rain, Theodore said, and that could continue through the first day of the new year. “The rain will likely stick around through Friday, and this could mean another round of potential flooding,” Theodore said.


Forecast:

Sunday: Sunny with highs in the mid-to-upper 40s. Monday: Mild with temperatures peaking in the low 50s. Clouds later in the day. Tuesday: Cold winds move in, temperatures in the upper 30s. Wednesday: Sun and clouds with highs in the low 40s.


Current conditions:

Hot, humid week ahead for DC area with severe storm risk

A dangerous heat wave will grip the D.C. area through Thursday, with highs in the mid to upper 90s and heat index values between 100 and 105. Hot and humid conditions are expected through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service, which said to expect daily thunderstorm chances and a risk of severe thunderstorms. 7News Meteorologist Eileen Whelan told WTOP that most of Tuesday will stay dry, but a few late-day thunderstorms are possible, especially north and east of D.C. as storms drift south from Pennsylvania. Any storm could produce damaging wind gusts and hail, but Whelan reiterated "storm chances are low" on Tuesday. Due to a lack of air conditioning, Parkdale High School in Riverdale, Maryland, closed early at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Prince George's County Public Schools said in a social media post.
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