Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA
515 FXUS61 KLWX 281839 AFDLWX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC 139 PM EST Fri Nov 28 2025 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure builds over the region tonight before moving offshore by Saturday night. A warm front then lifts north through the area on Sunday, which will bring some light wintry precipitation along/west of the Blue Ridge. High pressure returns Monday beyond a cold front before moving into New England ahead of the next weather system, which could bring wintry precipitation to portions of the region. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... A potent negatively-tilted trough is currently centered over New England, with the axis having now moved through the area. On the back side of this upper trough, seeing some convective snow showers moving into southwest PA. These will make their way into eastern WV and western MD over the next couple of hours. Even seeing some flurries making it all the way to the I-81 corridor still, which has lasted a lot longer than anticipated. Went ahead and carried this threat into the afternoon, gradually drawing it back west through this evening. Wind gusts have generally been on par with the current forecast, with most spots around 25 to 35 mph thus far. Temperatures have really struggled to get out of the 30s for most areas (40s in the metros and 20s in the mountains). This has lead to wind chills generally in the 20s for most (single digits and teens in the mountains). High pressure builds in quickly behind the departing trough tonight, then the high slides overhead on Saturday. Mountain snow showers come to an end tonight, with dry conditions for Saturday. The coldest temps during this stretch are most likely tonight with mid teens to low 20s across the area. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... A cold and mostly sunny day on Saturday as highs reach the mid 30s to low 40s. High level clouds filter through the day as the next, potent shortwave trough approaches from the west. Winds will be greatly reduced as high pressure moves overhead and eventually pushes offshore into Saturday night. An area of low pressure will slide by to our northwest and into the Great Lakes on Saturday night into Sunday. The warm front associated with this system lifts through the region during the morning hours, which will likely yield at least some light precipitation across the region. The onset of precipitation may struggle due to ongoing dry air. However, if it does start early enough in the morning, it will likely start out as some form of wintry precipitation. Latest thinking favors mostly rain in the valley locations, mixing with some sleet/snow early on. The ridgetops will have the highest chance for some ice accretion from freezing rain. For now, that is where the ice accumulations are in the latest forecast. Generally expect this event to have its highest impacts above 2000 feet or so. However, given how cold it will be leading into this event, if things do start wintry in the valleys as well, think there will be some icing issues on any untreated surfaces. It is very important to plan ahead if you are traveling Sunday, especially for those traveling through the mountains and along the I-81 corridor. Precipitation moves out Sunday evening, with the cold front associated with the aforementioned low pushing through. Expect decreasing clouds and temperatures dropping into the teens and 20s Sunday night. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Dry and cold conditions for the start of next week as high pressure quickly traverses the region. An area of low pressure will quickly track from the Gulf, across the Southeast U.S., then offshore of the Delmarva toward the southern New England coast on Tuesday. As the low moves north of the Carolinas, it will rapidly deepen. An area of high pressure over the Northeast will slide farther away from the area through the day on Tuesday. Precipitation is expected to overspread the area late Monday night into Tuesday morning, with the possibility of a wintry mix for parts of the area. This is most likely along and west of Interstate 95. Depending on how much cold air remains trapped and for how long, there could be an extended period of freezing rain in some of the elevated valleys along/west of I-81. There is also going to be an area of snow, possibly over the Alleghenies and Potomac Highlands, though if the WAA is strong enough it could just push the rain/snow more north than current guidance suggests. The ensemble low tracks indicate there is still a lot of uncertainty on the low`s track, and thus potential impacts for our area. Areas east of I-95 will be rain, though most areas east of the Blue Ridge will be mostly rain. Eventually the warm air takes over and precip transitions to a cold rain for most of the area, though snow likely persists in the higher elevations of the Alleghenies. The precip will have to overcome the dry air lingering at the surface, and that could allow temps to warm enough to prevent wintry precip in the eastern half of the area. Temperatures won`t change much Tuesday as highs struggle to reach the upper 30s to around 40F. Precip comes to an end Tuesday evening as the low pulls away. Another area of high pressure builds in and across the region Wednesday into Thursday, with another few days of dry and cold conditions. A dry cold front moves through Thursday night, bringing a reinforcing shot of cold air to end the week. && .AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... VFR conditions are forecast to persist through Saturday. The main aviation impact is going to be from strong wind gusts through the day today. Peak gusts around 30-35 knots expected into this afternoon. Winds decrease this evening into tonight. Light winds expected for Saturday as high pressure moves overhead and then offshore Saturday night. A low pressure system may bring a wintry mix in the west on Sunday morning, but will mostly favor rain farther east. The best shot at some wintry precipitation would be at MRB during the first half of the day. Elsewhere, likely only going to see a cold rain. This expected precipitation through the day Sunday will lead to reductions in ceilings and visibility. VFR conditions are expected Monday through Monday night, then sub- VFR conditions are likely Tuesday as an area of low pressure moves east of the area. A wintry mix is possible at all terminals, with snow and freezing rain Tuesday morning, before transitioning to rain in the afternoon. Additional restrictions from low clouds and reduced visibility are likely through Tuesday night. && .MARINE... Gusty winds continue this afternoon, with gusts generally around 30 knots out of the W to WNW. A few gusts have been around 35 knots, but have not needed a Gale Warning, as these have been isolated in nature. An SCA remain in effect through early Saturday morning. Winds slowly diminish tonight, and should fall below SCA levels by sunrise Saturday. Light to southeast winds into Sunday with an increase throughout the day. High pressure quickly moves across the local waters on Monday, then an area of low pressure quickly moves up the Eastern Seaboard Tuesday. Strong northerly winds Monday morning will diminish by the afternoon, so any ongoing Small Craft Advisories should come to an end. Winds will likely pick up again sometime Tuesday afternoon as the low pressure makes its closest approach, though it is uncertain if winds will reach SCA levels. && .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DC...None. MD...None. VA...None. WV...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 4 AM EST Saturday for ANZ530>543. && $$ SYNOPSIS...CJL NEAR TERM...CJL SHORT TERM...CJL LONG TERM...KRR AVIATION...CJL/KRR MARINE...CJL/KRR