Storm Team4 forecast: Sunny yet chilly Tuesday in DC, Maryland and Virginia but milder temps coming

4 things to know about the weather:

1. Chilly sunshine Tuesday
2. Thursday looks great
3. Rain on Friday
4. Blossoms at peak soon

We’re over halfway into March and it’s been unusually mild considering the harshness of the preceding winter.

The only thing wrong with Tuesday will be the chill in the air. Even with sunny skies, we’ll be lucky to get much above 50° Tuesday afternoon. Clouds will roll in Tuesday night and help to keep temperatures above freezing for Wednesday morning.

D.C. And Baltimore are more than 5° above average for the month and Dulles is more than 7° above. Maybe a warmer March is just part of our changing climate since seven of the 10 warmest Marches (to this point in the month) have all occurred since 2012 which is top on the list.

The year 2020 is second, 2024 is fourth, 2025 is eighth, 2026 is ninth and 2022 is tenth. It’s no wonder that we’ve been getting peak bloom at the Basin in March instead of April these past five to six years in a row.

The blossoms are now in stage 5 out of 6 and with temperatures near 75° coming on Thursday, Storm Team4 doesn’t see how they’re not at peak this weekend.

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Rain before a cool weekend

We won’t have to worry about rain until late Thursday night into Friday. South winds will help get us near 60° Wednesday and stronger southwest winds will bring mid-70s on Thursday afternoon. Friday will likely be the third or fourth day this month that we see temperatures dropping during the daylight hours.

It’s likely to be in the 60s with rain for the Friday morning commute and the 40s with showers by evening. The rain will end by midnight and the skies will clear towards daybreak Saturday.

There will be a frost/freeze concern on both Friday and Saturday nights. Saturday afternoon will look and feel just like Tuesday: sunny and near 50°. Sunday will be sunny and near 60°.

QuickCast

TUESDAY:
Mostly Sunny
Chilly
Light Breeze
Wind: Variable 4-8 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 46° to 52°

TUESDAY NIGHT:
Clear Evening
Cloudy By Midnight
Chilly And Dry
Wind: South 5 mph
Chance Of Rain: 0%
LOWS: 32° to 38°

WEDNESDAY:
Clouds & Sunshine
Chilly Morning
Seasonable Afternoon
Wind: South 10 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 56° to 62°

THURSDAY:
Warm And Breezy
Increasing Clouds
Late Evening Showers
Wind: Southwest 12-22mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 70° to 76°

FRIDAY:
Breezy, And Rainy
Steadiest Rain Before Noon
Falling Temperatures
Wind: North 10-20 mph
Chance of Rain: 80%
TEMPS: 65° to 45°

Sunrise: 7:05       Sunset: 7:24
Average High: 59°  Average Low: 41°

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