Washington D.C. went without any significant snow throughout the entirety of 2023, and yet within the first few weeks of 2024, we’ve already had our first snowstorm and another seems to be on the horizon. Earlier this week and this past weekend, D.C. had its first flurries of snow in quite some time, it started accumulating earlier this week leaving D.C. with a white blanket of fluffy snow on Tuesday morning.
Not only did the snow from earlier this week lead to Washingtonians sledding on Capitol Hill and participating in the “Battle of Snowpenheimer” snowball fight on the National Mall, but it also led to some rather dangerous travel conditions on the road and a significant amount of delayed and canceled flights across the DMV region; with Reagan National, Baltimore International Thurgood Marshall, and Dullaes all severely impacted by the weather.
Interestingly, this will be just the second snowstorm to hit D.C. after meteorologists initially predicted this to be a very snowy winter for D.C. back at the start of the season, which means that this may not be the last time we see snow before spring.
What to expect from Friday’s projected snowstorm?
Once again, D.C. is expecting to get around 1 – 3 inches of snow this Friday throughout the day, the temperature will hover around the mid-to-low 30s for most of the day, and Friday evening the temperature might drop as low as 20 degrees. This means that the risk of icy roads Friday evening and early this weekend will be considerably high, so be sure that you are being extremely careful not only while driving (which you should do only if you have to), but also while you’re walking around town! However, considering this is D.C. and snow predictions often turn into rain, you’ll still want to be cautious as freezing temperatures will likely set in overnight and make the city particularly slippery.
Also, as those who commute in and out of the city via the MARC, VRE, and Metro trains may already know by this point in the week, you can expect delays in public transportation as we brace for this storm.
When is it going to get warmer?
The cold weather is going to stick around for most of the weekend, which is good for playing in the snow but not ideal transportation conditions, which means this weekend it might be best to avoid getting behind the wheel if not necessary. On Saturday, the cold will be particularly harsh, with a projected high of 25 degrees and a low of 18, you’ll definitely want to bundle up if you plan to spend time outside. On Sunday, the weather will start to turn with a sunny sky and a high of 33, but the snow will start to melt away next week after Tuesday when temps are projected to get back up to around the 45 – 55 degree range.