Significant fog, flood alert expected Sunday
A strong area of low pressure is forecast to impact the D.C. region with possible fog, heavy rain, coastal flooding, gusty winds and mountain snow Sunday.
Listen to WTOP online and on the radio at 103.5 FM or 107.7 FM for the latest weather conditions.
A strong area of low pressure is forecast to impact the D.C. region with possible heavy rain, coastal flooding, gusty winds and mountain snow Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
It will be a quiet start to the weekend, but the weather turns more active on Sunday into Monday as a strong area of low pressure impacts the region. Locally heavy rain, coastal flooding, gusty winds, and mountain snow are all possible during that time! #MDwx #VAwx #DCwx #WVwx pic.twitter.com/TLS6Y5j6uk
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) December 16, 2023
The D.C. area can expect to see significant advection fog Sunday, which WTOP meteorologist Chad Merrill said will “limit visibility over the (Chesapeake) Bay and near the Potomac River, as well as along the east slopes of the mountains.”
Advection fog, according to the National Weather Service, forms as warmer, moist air moves over a cold ground. This type of fog, unlike radiation fog, may form under cloudy skies and in windy conditions — and is most commonly found on the West Coast.
In addition to the impending fog, the area will be under a flood alert starting 6 p.m. Sunday.
“You’ll wake up to clouds and areas of fog. Showers will develop late morning and through the afternoon. Drenching downpours with the threat of flooding arrive shortly before midnight, as winds increase through the overnight hours” into Monday, said 7News First Alert Weather Meteorologist Eileen Whelan.
Sunday’s weather will lead into a wind alert Monday and cold alert Tuesday, with “morning wind chills in the teens” that will give way to afternoon temperatures that feel like the 20s, Whelan said.
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Current conditions:
Forecast:
SATURDAY: Partly Cloudy. Highs in the middle to upper 50s.
Winds: East 5 mph
SATURDAY NIGHT: Cloudy skies, patchy fog by dawn Lows in the high 30s to middle 40s.
Winds: East 5-10 mph
SUNDAY: FLOOD ALERT AT NIGHT. Morning fog, cloudy with rain, plus a flood risk at night. Highs in the middle 50s.
Winds: East 15-25 mph, Gusts 30 mph by 10 p.m.
MONDAY: WIND ALERT. Cloudy, lingering morning rain and blustery. Highs in the middle 50s.
Winds: NW 15-25 mph, Gusts 40+ mph
TUESDAY: COLD ALERT. Partly sunny, breezy and cold. Highs in the upper 30s to low 40s.
Winds: Northwest 15-20, Gusts 30 mph