4 things to know about the weather:
- April gloominess returns
- Chilly, cloudy, wet few days
- Total rainout on Friday
- Some hope for Sunday afternoon
As we settle into a cool and rainy pattern these next few days, just keep reminding yourself that we really do need the rain.
Our entire region has been 35-40% below average in rainfall since the beginning of October last year. That equals about 6 to 8 inches of rainfall that we didn't get compared to the average.
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The clouds are back and some areas have already seen the first drops of rain Thursday morning. Thursday will not be an all-day rain, that comes Friday, but light rain is likely Thursday morning and then again by late Thursday afternoon and evening.
The easy part of this forecast will be the temperatures. We'll be in the low to mid-50s Thursday afternoon, Friday afternoon and again on Saturday afternoon.
With the rain ending and some hope for sunshine back in the picture, we might make it into the low 60s on Sunday afternoon.
How much rain is the DC area going to get through Saturday?
So, how much rain are we likely to get with all these cloudy days? On average, three-day rain totals will mostly fall in the inch to 1.5-inch range. There will likely be a bullseye of 2 inches to 2.5 inches somewhere in the DMV but the forecast models don't exactly agree on where that bullseye will be. The American model pouts it over the Bay. The European model puts it over Northern and Central Virginia.
The one thing the models do agree on is the majority of the rain will fall between Friday morning and late Friday night when a full inch or more is likely.
Rain totals Thursday will only be around 0.10 inches and rain totals on Saturday will be a quarter of an inch or less. Monday and Tuesday look mild and dry with highs back around 70 degrees.
Weather radar
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10-day forecast
Quickcast
THURSDAY:
Cloudy And Cool
AM: Drizzle, Sprinkles
PM: Rain Likely
Rain Totals Around 0.10"
Wind: Southeast 12-24 mph
Chance Of Rain: 80%
HIGHS: 52° - 58°
THURSDAY NIGHT:
Clouds And Rain
Rain Totals Near 0.50"
Breezy And Chilly
Chance Of Rain: 100%
Wind: Southeast 8-18 mph
LOWS: 45° - 50°
FRIDAY:
Cloudy, Breezy And Chilly
Rain, Moderate At Times
Rain Totals Around 1.0"
Wind: Northeast 10-20 mph
Chance Of Rain: 100%
HIGHS: 50° - 56°
SATURDAY:
Cloudy, Breezy And Chilly
Light Rain, Drizzle All Day
Rain Totals Around 0.10"
Wind: North 12-22 mph
Chance Of Rain: 80%
HIGHS: 48° - 54°
SUNDAY:
Cloudy Morning
Afternoon Clearing
Dry And Milder
Wind: Northwest 8-18 mph
Chance Of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 56° - 62°
Sunrise 6:39 Sunset 7:41
Average High: 66° Average Low: 47°
