Here’s how DC-area roads looked this morning — and what you can expect overnight
A couple of inches of snow fell in another bout of winter weather across the D.C. region Friday night into Saturday morning. Here’s how it could affect driving later in the weekend.
Saturday’s light snowfall comes after the storm earlier this week, which brought up to 10 inches of snow in parts of the D.C. area and left roads slick and slippery, prompting officials to urge drivers to stay home unless it was absolutely necessary to travel.
How did the roads fare in comparison this morning?
WTOP’s Luke Lukert was out driving around and didn’t notice much accumulation along major roadways, just some slush around medians and sidewalks.
“That’s because the roads are so salty from Monday’s storms, nothing had a chance to stick,” Lukert said.
He noted that one neighborhood had so much salt on the pavement that it felt like he was driving on gravel.
Saturday saw relatively warm temperatures compared to the preceding weekdays — that’s likely why road treatments were so effective, according to 7News First Alert Meteorologist Jordan Evans.
“The roads today were mostly wet thanks to temperatures only slightly below freezing, which allowed treatment and ice melt to work well,” Evans said.
While those main roads are taken care of, some neighborhood streets have much more snow on them.
“The most treacherous part of your commute is likely right outside your front door,” Lukert said.
With temperatures just above freezing today, some of that snow is expected to melt, causing the roads to become much more slick tonight.
“The melting continues. There will be wet roads for today, but a refreeze again tonight as those temperatures dip into the teens and 20s,” said Evans.
Thanks to that refreeze, drivers should plan for worse road conditions on Sunday — including threats like black ice.
“Any slush on untreated roads will freeze, bridges and overpasses will have icy spots, and the potential for black ice from water that freezes is high,” Evans said. “I anticipate many slick spots for Sunday morning.”
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SATURDAY NIGHT:
Clear skies
Lows: 15-25
Wind Chill: 10s
Winds: West 5-10 mph
Plan for a very cold night with temperatures in the teens and 20s.
SUNDAY:
Sunny
Highs: 36-40
Wind Chill: 30s
Winds: West 5-10 mph
Quiet weather conditions throughout the day with temperatures near 40 degrees.
MONDAY:
Mostly sunny
Highs: 38-42
Wind Chill: 30s
Winds: West 5 mph
Temperatures closer to average in the low 40s under mostly sunny skies.
TUESDAY:
Blustery
Highs: 25-30
Wind Chill: 10s & 20s
Winds: Northwest 10-20 mph
A dry cold front moves through with even colder air. Very little moisture will be available for this front to produce any snow, except for a few flurries. Blustery conditions will be the case throughout the day.