Possibility of light snow, high winds in DC area

A cold front nearing the D.C. area could bring in a wintry mix and whipping winds while dropping recent teeth-chattering temperatures even lower.

Here’s what you need to know.

Make sure to bring those holiday decorations indoors on Wednesday night. Over the next day, parts of the D.C. region will get rain, a wintry mix or even some light snow along with high winds.

A cold front from the northwest is expected to arrive by dawn Thursday, thickening clouds and dropping (already below-average) temperatures into the 30s to mid-40s, according to 7News First Alert Meteorologist Steve Rudin.

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Any snowfall isn’t expected to stick in the D.C. area. But roads will be wet for commuters Thursday morning and a couple brief snow showers could pass through during your drive into work.

“Best chances for snow accumulation will be mainly north and west of the D.C. metro,” Rudin said.

Regions far west of D.C. in the mountains are under a blizzard warning, with between 3 and 7 inches of snowfall and wind gusts up to 60 mph expected, according to the National Weather Service.

“There isn’t a lot of moisture with this system. Only a few hundredths of precipitation is expected,” Rudin said. 

The winds are the bigger story in the D.C. area. A wind advisory is in effect from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. as gusts could reach up to 55 mph through Thursday afternoon. Those gusts will make it feel a lot colder — wind chills will be in the 20s.

The NWS warned the high winds could down tree branches or knock out power. Anything outside that could be blown around should be pinned down or brought indoors.

7News First Alert Forecast

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