Damaging Winds In VA: 55 MPH Gusts Possible

VIRGINIA — The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook and a wind advisory for parts of Virginia on Thursday.

Expect winds of 20 to 30 mph, with gusts up to 55 mph until 5 p.m. Monday across portions of DC, central, northern, southern, and western Maryland, and central and northern Virginia, according to the weather service.

"Winds continue to increase this morning and into the afternoon as a strong front passes through," the Baltimore-DC office of the National Weather Service said. "Gusts of 40-50 mph are expected for most of the region w/ gusts up to 60 mph across the higher terrain where blizzard warnings remain in effect. Winds slowly decrease through Friday."

A wind advisory is in place until 5 p.m. for these areas: Augusta, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Page, Warren, Clarke, Rappahannock, Fairfax, Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Manassas, and Manassas Park.

A hazardous weather outlook is also in place Thursday for the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay, Tidal Potomac River, and I-95 corridor through central Maryland, northern Virginia, and District of Columbia.

While snow and showers have moved out of the Baltimore-DC region, they have been replaced by howling winds and winter-like temperatures in the 30s with wind chills in the 20s, The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang said. "The cold and wind linger into Friday but, take heart, by Sunday a real warm-up gets underway."

Here's the seven-day Northern Virginia forecast from the National Weather Service:

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. Windy, with a west wind 17 to 26 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. West wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 38. Northwest wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. West wind 5 to 7 mph.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. West wind 5 to 8 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 53.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Monday: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Monday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Tuesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Tuesday Night: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 46. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. Chance of precipitation is 40%.