D.C.-area forecast: Winter chill through tomorrow, then somewhat milder into the weekend

Today’s daily digit

A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of 0 to 10.

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Brrrrring that winter coat as a chilly wind is not our friend.

Express forecast

Today: Partly to mostly sunny, blustery, flurry? Highs: 35-43.

Tonight: Mostly clear and chilly. Lows: 18-25.

Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, less windy. Highs: 38-45.

Forecast in detail

Our coldest air mass since February has arrived for today, coinciding with gusty winds that should send afternoon wind chills into the 20s. Tomorrow is only slightly warmer, but less windy, before highs return to the more seasonable 50s by Thursday. Highs stay in the 50s Friday and this weekend, but we’ll have to watch two weather systems that could dampen both Friday and Sunday.

Today (Tuesday): Partly to mostly sunny skies struggle to combat chilly temperatures and a gusty wind. From the mid-20s to near 30 early this morning, afternoon highs reach only the mid-30s to low 40s and can’t rule out a snow flurry. Winds from the west-northwest gust around 20-35 mph, lowering wind chills into the frigid 20s. Dress warmly as we haven’t seen this level of cold since last winter. The air is also very dry with afternoon dew points in the single digits (bring out the lip balm!). Confidence: High

Tonight: Mostly clear with temperatures dropping mainly into the low to mid-20s for lows, but colder western to northwestern suburbs could dip into the upper teens. Winds remain on the breezy side during the evening, blowing from the west at 10-15 mph with some higher gusts, before diminishing overnight. Confidence: High

Tomorrow (Wednesday): Temperatures continue well below normal despite sunny skies, although it should be slightly warmer than Tuesday as highs climb into the upper 30s to mid-40s. Lighter winds come from the south around 10 mph with gusts up to near 20 mph still offering a bit a of a wind chill. Confidence: High

Tomorrow night: Mostly clear and cold again with lows from the mid-20s to low 30s. Confidence: High

A look ahead

may be our best day of this week thanks to sunny skies and warmer highs reaching the low to mid-50s with relatively light breezes. Thursday night could pick up a few more clouds with lows ranging from the mid-30s in the suburbs to low 40s in the city. Confidence: High

starts December with partly to mostly cloudy skies in the morning and probably some rain developing in the afternoon. This rain should be mostly on the light side and may even be more showery versus steady rain. Highs range from near 50 in the far western suburbs to the mid- to upper 50s south and east of the city. Showers could linger into Friday evening with overnight lows ranging from the upper 30s to mid-40s. Confidence: Medium

is mixed. Saturday offers a brief respite of partly to mostly sunny skies as afternoon temperatures reach the low to mid-50s for highs. Clouds return Saturday night with lows in the upper 30s to mid-40s. Sunday should again see highs in the 50s with another chance of rain as a coastal storm tries to rev up, but the details are fuzzy for now. Confidence: Low-Medium