The recent damaging winds, frost in the suburbs and midweek record heat followed by rain and thunder will be replaced by a new weather pattern conducive for travelers and Easter Egg hunts this weekend in the D.C. area.
First, it was the double-whammy severe weather and gusty, damaging winds last Saturday. Then, a frost had gardeners outside the Capital Beltway covering flowers to prevent cold weather damage followed by record highs at all three of our airports (BWI, Dulles International and Reagan National Airports) on Wednesday.
However, rain and thunder is expected to come to the area Thursday afternoon.
Sprawling Canadian high pressure will settle into the northern mid-Atlantic on Friday and remain anchored there straight through Easter Sunday. Meanwhile, the front that is expected to move through Thursday evening will stall out in the Carolinas.
While Friday and Saturday will be dry, much cooler and less humid, we won’t have bright blue skies. Instead, a thick cirrus cloud deck will dim or even completely block the sunlight. Along and south of Interstate 64 will be soggy thanks to the stalled front.
By Easter Sunday, the Canadian high pressure will completely win the battle and deep blue skies and bright sunshine will greet Easter egg hunts in the morning.
Highs will be in the 50s and 60s with morning lows in the 40s. However, our northern suburbs, including Frederick, Thurmont and Hagerstown, will be cold enough around daybreak Saturday, Easter Sunday and Monday for frost development. Flowers should be covered to prevent frost damage in nights and early mornings.
The only national travel headaches on Friday will be in the southeast thanks to rain and thunder and the northwest with rain and mountain snow. While the northwest gets a break in the precipitation on Saturday, the southeast will have a second round of rain.
The pattern will break by Sunday and much of the U.S. will see quiet weather, which has been a rare occurrence the last several months.
Stay tuned to WTOP on the 8’s for the latest 7Alert Weather Center forecast this weekend.
