Northern Virginia Weather: Weekend Starts Badly, Gets Worse

STERLING, VA—When you weekend weather forecast begins with "rain, snow and sleet," and then devolves into a Sunday smorgasbord featuring an approaching arctic blast, well, yeah. You get the idea. That's the word from the National Weather Service and other area forecasting outlets.

Saturday presents the icky precipitation scenario. And Sunday? There's this from the Washington Post's Capital Gang: "A cold front passes in the morning, sending temperatures from the mid-30s to around 40 early down into the 20s before sunset. Lows in the single digits and teens are likely, along with strong winds."

So there you go. Here's the detailed forecast from the National Weather Service local bureau in Loudoun County:

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight.

Saturday: Rain, snow, and sleet between 10am and 4pm, then rain or freezing rain after 4pm. High near 35. East wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Saturday Night: Rain or freezing rain, becoming all rain after 7pm. Low around 33. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected.

Sunday: Rain likely, possibly mixed with sleet, mainly before 7am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 35. Breezy, with a northwest wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no sleet accumulation expected.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 9. Northwest wind 15 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

M.L.King Day: Sunny, with a high near 20.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 12.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 35.

Tuesday Night: A chance of rain, snow, and freezing rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday: Rain. High near 50. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Wednesday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 34. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Thursday: A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37.

Patch graphic