Freeze Warning: Cold Front To Send NoVA Temperatures Well Below Normal

VIRGINIA/DC — Residents of Virginia and D.C. should prepare for much cooler temperatures the next two days, as highs are expected only in the mid-50s. Freeze or frost advisories are in effect Tuesday night for Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Snow showers are forecast Tuesday night and Wednesday for western Maryland and the mountains of West Virginia, with an inch possible. For the immediate D.C. area, Wednesday will likely be the coldest day of the week.

Temperatures will turn cold Tuesday night, with lows around 40 in the inner suburbs and ranging from the lower to upper 30s in the outer suburbs. There’s a good chance of frost, along with a freeze in the western suburbs.

“Temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees below normal today under partly to mostly sunny skies,” the National Weather Service said in its Tuesday forecast for Northern Virginia and D.C. “More clouds and a few snow showers will be found west of the Allegheny Front.”

The NWS issued a freeze warning for Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford and Fauquier counties and the City of Fredericksburg beginning at 2 a.m. Wednesday, with the warning continuing until 9 a.m. Wednesday.

A frost advisory is in effect for the rest of Northern Virginia and D.C. from 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday.

“Frost and freeze conditions will kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing,” the NWS said.

Residents should take step to protect plants from the cold. To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes, they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above-ground pipes to protect them from freezing, the weather service said.

Cooler temperatures were already being felt Tuesday morning. Temperatures were running 10 to 20 degree lower Tuesday morning than a day earlier. Most locales in the D.C. region were in the upper 30s and low 40s, NBC4 meteorologist Chuck Bell.

"If you have been waiting to down your fall fleece, the wait is over," Bell said.

With the cold mass in place, the region will see mostly dry conditions over the next few days, aside from the Allegheny Front and areas west of there, where there could be some snow.

"It may take until later Tuesday before it snows with enough persistence and intensity to cover the ground in some areas of the central Appalachians," AccuWeather said.

On Wednesday, stronger winds will bring a wind chill into effect, making it feel colder than the 50-degree temperatures in the forecast. Frost and localized freezing temperatures are possible during the overnight and early morning hours Wednesday night through Friday morning.

By Friday afternoon, sunny skies will help the temperatures rise into the middle to upper 60s. By Saturday, expect sunny skies and a return to near 70-degree temperatures.

Here's the NWS forecast for D.C. and the Virginia suburbs for the next few days:

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. West wind 7 to 10 mph.

Tuesday night: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 38. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Wednesday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 55. Southwest wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Wednesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38. Southwest wind around 7 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 59. Southwest wind 6 to 10 mph.

Thursday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 63.