Two Chances for Snow This Week in Northern Virginia

Will Northern Virginia see its first snow of the 2017 winter season this week? Forecasters agree that a mass of cold air will hit the area beginning Wednesday night and continuing through Monday with the coldest day Sunday. Highs on Sunday are only expected to reach freezing.

Two chances for snow this week

But the chances for snow? There are two chances this week. The first is about a 55 percent chance of snow hitting Northern Virginia sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Hofmann.

Hofmann, who works from the NWS Baltimore-Washington office in Sterling, said Tuesday morning that if the region sees snow Thursday night into Friday morning, it could be up to 1 inch but more of a fast-moving "clipper." With freezing temperatures predicted, the snow could stick not roadways, he said.

The second chance for snow, he said, is coming Saturday night into Sunday morning. He gives Northern Virginia, right now, about a 30 percent chance of seeing any snow when that system hits. He said that the weekend system will bring more snow, but likely to the south of the region.

Here's what some forecasters are saying:

• Capital Weather Gang says: "It’s sufficiently cold for snow Thursday to Sunday, and some flakes are likely. But it’s still a tough call as to whether meaningful amounts materialize."
• On New Year's Eve, NBC-4's Doug Kammerer said "latest data shows its WAY South."

Here's a look at those cold temperatures headed to Northern Virginia this week (with the coldest day predicted to be Sunday), after a warmup predicted for Wednesday with highs in the 50s:

• Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 52. West wind 8 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.
• Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. West wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
• Thursday: A slight chance of snow after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. West wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Thursday night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 50%
• Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 33.
• Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 21.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 31.
• Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 30.
• Sunday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 19.

The National Weather Service also recently noted that it will try to give more warning about coming snowfall this year, so that people don't get stuck on the roads:

"Small amounts of winter precipitation falling on sub-freezing road surfaces during rush-hours can produce very long, stressful commutes (e.g., January 20, 2016 evening rush-hour). Frequently, these are the most challenging types of events for our forecasters to predict. In response to this challenge, our office will issue statements about a day in advance to make people aware of the potential for winter weather events that could adversely impact commuting."

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