Winter Storm Approaching NoVA: Forecasters Provide Key Updates

A winter storm heading toward Northern Virginia could bring 2 to 4 inches of snow to the region Saturday night into early Sunday, according to the latest forecasts.

While chances for any significant snowfall on Friday have mostly dissipated, a fast-moving clipper system and Arctic front is still on track to sweep over Northern Virginia later this weekend. Snow is likely to accompany the system; however, there's still a fair amount of uncertainty regarding how much and what kind of precipitation will ultimately fall, according to forecasters.

Here are some key updates released by forecasters on Friday:

Timing

Precipitation could start as early as Saturday evening in the Alleghenies, before spreading eastward during the overnight hours, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasters said an enhanced band of precipitation will develop along the I-95 corridor Saturday night. A brief period of rain or a rain-snow mix could fall first before a blast of cold air pushes into the region, turning any precipitation into snow.

Most of the snow is expected to fall during the overnight hours, arriving between 10 p.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday and probably winding down between 4 and 8 a.m., according to The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang.

"As most of the snow will end before sunrise Sunday (or perhaps an hour or two later to the northeast of D.C.), it should have relatively minor impacts," the Capital Weather Gang wrote. "Some untreated roads may be slick so you may want to allot extra time for heading out to Sunday morning activities."

Snowfall Estimates

If most of the precipitation around the I-95 corridor were to fall as rain, as little as a coating to an inch of snow could occur. Currently, the National Weather Service is predicting between 1 to 4 inches of snow east of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

"In a high-end scenario, as much as 6 inches of snow could occur under the heaviest part of the band if the precipitation stays all snow," the National Weather Service.

Models analyzed by the Capital Weather Gang show areas near and northeast of Interstate 95 have the best chance of seeing accumulating snowfall, while there will probably be a sharp cutoff to the west and south.

"Our initial estimate is for a coating of 2 inches for the Beltway area," the Capital Weather Gang wrote. "The zone from Annapolis to Baltimore and to the north and northeast could see a bit more than that. But to the west and south of Fairfax County (in Virginia), just a coating or less is anticipated."

Arctic Temps To Follow

Winds will pick up substantially behind the Arctic front by Sunday afternoon. Expect wind gusts out of the northwest up to 30 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

While winds will taper off late Sunday night and into the pre-dawn hours on Monday, there will still be enough of a breeze to cause wind chills to plummet and temperatures to plunge to the coldest of the season thus far.

On Monday, forecasters said Virginians can expect wind gusts of 15 to 25 mph with highs for most struggling to make it to freezing.

"Mountain locations will remain in the mid- to upper teens throughout the day," forecasters wrote. "The added wind will keep wind chills in the single digits over the mountains with low to mid 20s elsewhere across the region."

Here's a look at the detailed National Weather Service forecast for the region through Monday:

Friday: Cloudy early, then gradual clearing, with a high near 38. Southwest wind 3 to 6 mph.

Friday Night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 27. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph after midnight.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Saturday Night: Snow showers, possibly mixed with rain, becoming all snow after 4am. Low around 28. Calm wind becoming north 5 to 8 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Sunday: A slight chance of snow showers before 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 31. Blustery, with a northwest wind 13 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 19.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 33.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 21.