Rain, Snow Followed By Arctic Cold: Latest VA Forecast

VIRGINIA — The first significant chance of snow in the Northern Virginia-Washington, D.C. region is in the forecast Friday through Monday, along with much colder temperatures, according to the National Weather Service.

"Colder temperatures today and decreasing winds as high pressure briefly builds south of the region. Rain and snow chances return with a clipper low pressure system Friday afternoon and evening," the NWS said Thursday morning.

On Friday look for rain showers to mix with snow after 4 p.m., with a chance of snow showers before 7 p.m. Sunday bring a 30 percent chance of snow after 1 p.m., with snow chances rising to 80 percent Sunday night and continuing into Monday through midday.

Some areas in the mountains of Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia are under a winter storm watch Friday through Saturday morning and may see snow accumulations from 4 to 9 inches.

The snow and cold weather are being driven by an arctic blast moving from Canada and across the Dakotas into the Midwest, before dipping southward into Georgia and the Carolinas, according to the AccuWeather forecast. Temperatures east of the Mississippi are expected to be 12-25 degrees below the historical average.

“This could end up being the coldest January since 2011 for the U.S. as a whole,” Accuweather Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok said.

Scattered flurries greeted workers across Northern Virginia and the greater Baltimore-Washington as they headed back to work Thursday morning, but this may foreshadow heavier accumulations of snow over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

As Thursday progresses, expect a high temperature near 41, and a west wind gusting up to 28 mph. Overnight and into Friday morning, the thermometer will remain in the low 40s, but rain and snow showers are likely after 1 p.m., according to the weather service. But there will be little or no accumulation of snow into the evening hours.

Here is the National Weather Service’s long-term NoVA forecast:

• Thursday Night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 26. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph.
• Friday: Rain and snow showers likely after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
• Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 23. Northwest wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 33. Breezy, with a west wind 14 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.
• Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 19.
• Sunday: A chance of snow after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 36. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Sunday Night: Snow. Low around 25. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
• Monday: Snow likely, mainly before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
• Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20.
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34.
• Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 18.
• Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 31.