But weekend will turn out to be sunny and dry

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EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: AM fog. Mostly cloudy. Upper 50s. | Tonight: Cloudy. Showers possible. 38-42. | Tomorrow: Cloudy. Gusty breezes. A few showers possible. Upper 40s. | A Look Ahead | Get Express Forecast by E-mail

FORECAST IN DETAIL

Granted, "nice" weather is subjective, but here's the proverbial bad news: clouds will dominate over the next 48 hours, with occasional chances for showers -- though I don't expect all that much rain will fall. The good news? High pressure takes hold over the weekend, which will produce lots of sunshine and dry conditions. With the exception of our breezy chill tomorrow, temperatures will remain at generally above-average levels through early next week.

Radar: Latest D.C. area radar loop shows movement of precipitation over past two hours. Powered by HAMweather. Refresh page to update. Click here or on image to enlarge. Or see radar bigger on our Weather Wall.

Today (Thanksgiving): Expect a foggy start to your Turkey Day, though hopefully most of that will burn off by mid-morning. The afternoon will feature predominately cloudy skies, though some sun should filter through from time to time. Afternoon highs will reach the upper 50s. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: Cloudy skies, occasional scattered showers, and increasingly breezy northwesterly winds are likely tonight as a cold front interacts with an area of low pressure spinning just off the coast. But we're not talking heavy rain; generally amounts will be under 0.20". Overnight lows will settle into the upper 30s to low 40s. Confidence: Medium

Keep reading for the improving forecast through the holiday weekend...

A little warmer tomorrow with shower threat by evening

* Dense Fog Advisory until 9 a.m. Thursday *
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Morning drizzle -- in some places soaking at times -- dried up during the afternoon as highs made the mid-50s. Partly cloudy skies this evening, as opposed to the overcast that lasted much of the day, are a sign of better weather to come for Thanksgiving Day. Don't get too used to the dry weather, though, as rain threatens again by tomorrow evening into the first part of a wind-blown Black Friday.

Webcam: Latest view of D.C. from the Netherlands Carillon at Arlington National Cemetery. Courtesy National Park Service. Refresh page to update. See this image bigger on our Weather Wall.

Through Tonight: Clouds show some breaks as we get into evening -- we'll call it partly cloudy. You might even see some stars if you aren't being blasted by city lights. But the combination of leftover moisture and light winds may lead to overnight fog, low clouds and areas of mist. Lows range from the upper 30s (suburbs) to mid-40s (downtown).

Tomorrow (Thanksgiving): Partial sunshine is possible once any morning fog/mist or low clouds dissipate. Clouds thicken back up again toward evening with showers possible. But the heaviest of any rain should hold off until later at night. Highs climb to the upper 50s to near 60.

See Dan Stillman's full forecast through the holiday weekend. And if you haven't already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Winter Outlooks: NBC4 meteorologist Bob Ryan has come out with his outlook for this winter, calling for "more snow than average ... and a chance of at least one big Nor'easter." Watch the video here, and see what Topper Shutt and WUSA-9's weather team is thinking for this winter here. Oh, yeah, and don't forget about CWG's own winter outlook.

Temporarily drier for Thanksgiving; A gusty Black Friday

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EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: Mostly cloudy. Periods of drizzle/occasional shower. Mid-to-upper 50s. | Tonight: Partly cloudy. Late-night fog/mist. Low-to-mid 40s. | Tomorrow: Partly to mostly cloudy. Chance of late-day showers. Upper 50s to near 60. | A Look Ahead | Get Express Forecast by E-mail

FORECAST IN DETAIL

With no major storm affecting the mid-Atlantic or Northeast, today won't be as bad as some getaway days have been for those heading toward or away from D.C., be it on I-95, I-270/I-70, I-66/I-81 or Rt. 50. That said, more of that pesky drizzle -- and some showers, especially along I-95 from Baltimore to New York -- could slow things down. The drizzle breaks for Thanksgiving Day, though showers may return by evening. Then, it's a blustery Black Friday with a chance of more showers, followed by weekend sun.

Radar: Latest regional radar shows movement of precipitation over past three hours. Powered by HAMweather. Refresh page to update. Click here or on image to enlarge. Or see radar bigger on our Weather Wall.

Today (Wednesday): Light winds from the east/southeast keep the air moist, with periods of drizzle or mist and an occasional shower possible through at least early afternoon. Despite mostly cloudy skies, temperatures could climb a few degrees higher than yesterday, to highs in the mid-50s. Maybe some upper 50s if afternoon skies brighten a bit. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: The evening looks to bring a break in our persistent drizzle/mist, and even some breaks in the clouds, though mist and areas of fog could develop after midnight. Lows in the mid-40s downtown, low 40s to near 40 in the burbs. Confidence: Medium-High

Keep reading for the forecast through the holiday weekend....

Periods of drizzle and a shower or two on Wednesday

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Our cloudy and damp stretch is two days strong now and is not ready to let up quite yet. After rain continued into last night, today has been drier by comparison, but areas of drizzle have plagued much of the region throughout. Highs mainly in the low-to-mid 50s are right around average for this time of year. Winds from the north and east will help keep drizzle or light showers in the forecast at least into tomorrow afternoon.

Webcam: Latest view of D.C. from the Netherlands Carillon at Arlington National Cemetery. Courtesy National Park Service. Refresh page to update. See this image bigger on our Weather Wall.

Through Tonight: If you like clouds and periods of drizzle, you're in luck -- they continue to be the weather story tonight. Watch out for some areas of fog. Lows range from the lower 40s in the coldest spots to the mid-and-upper 40s downtown.

Tomorrow (Wednesday): For those making a last-minute dash out of town for Thanksgiving, expect more of the same with perhaps slightly warmer temperatures. Drizzle and a few light showers look to be around much of the day, with a respite possible by evening into the overnight. Mid-50s should do it for highs most spots.

See Matt Rogers' full forecast through the holiday weekend. And if you haven't already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Thanksgiving weather: Weather Underground's Shaun Tanner examines Thanksgiving's average temperature readings across the United States. Since 1950, he finds that the coldest Thanksgiving was in 1993 as the country saw an average high of 40F and an average low of 25F. The warmest Thanksgiving occurred in 1998 when the country saw an average high of 61F and an average low near 40F.

* Thanksgiving weather? Full Forecast | See photo contest winners *

The climate science email scandal known to some as "climategate" continues to reverberate throughout the climate science and policy communities. Since the story broke late last week that the University of East Anglia's servers had been hacked into, spilling hundreds of personal emails between prominent climate scientists onto the Web, scientists and political leaders have been weighing in on the significance of the information contained in the emails.

Reporters and bloggers have been combing through the emails, which have motivated staunch climate skeptic Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.) to call for an investigation of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In one of the messages, Phil Jones, who heads up Britain's government-run Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, alluded to a "trick" that a colleague performed to analyze historical temperature data. For more background on the scandal, including that particular message, check out Saturday's story from the Washington Post.

In an effort to provide readers with a range of views on the significance of the email scandal, I've been conducting interviews with top experts in climate science and related fields. Yesterday I featured an interview with science historian Spencer Weart.

Today, I bring you an email interview with geochemist Thomas Crowley, a professor of geosciences and director of the Scottish Alliance for Geosciences and the Environment at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Crowley served as a chapter reviewer of the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report, and has published extensively on the Earth's climate history.

Wx and the City

* Drizzly for Thanksgiving getaway: Full Forecast | Climate scandal *

One of this year's top 10 photo picks. Key Bridge in the fog. Taken by Bill Jonscher in December 2008.

The results are in for Capital Weather Gang's 2009 annual photo contest. It was a tough decision. We received 59 submissions, which depicted four seasons and many types of weather from cities, the countryside and coasts throughout our region. Some were scientifically interesting; others were aesthetically pleasing; all showed an appreciation of the sky. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Keep reading for rest of the Gang's top 10 picks. To view all submissions, visit our photo gallery.

Drizzle chances thru tomorrow, Thanksgiving showers?

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* Later: Another scientist on climate scandal *

EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: Morning drizzle/light rain. Mostly cloudy afternoon. 51-55. | Tonight: Mostly cloudy, some drizzle possible, especially late. 43-47 | Wednesday: More clouds, some drizzle. 55-59. | A Look Ahead | Get Express Forecast by E-mail

FORECAST IN DETAIL

November has been chock full of clouds and onshore (from the east) flow with plenty of moisture. In fact, 10 of the 23 days of November so far have seen onshore flow in the region. This week is offering us a lot more of that. Look for clouds and drizzle this morning, perhaps a break this afternoon and evening, and then more chances tonight and Wednesday. And Thanksgiving? Well, it should be our warmest day of the week, but showers are still possible (sorry).

Radar: Latest D.C. area radar loop shows movement of precipitation over past two hours. Powered by HAMweather. Refresh page to update. Click here or on image to enlarge. Or see radar bigger on our Weather Wall.

Today (Tuesday): Pesky winds from the east will keep moisture around with clouds and drizzle and spotty light rain opportunities this morning. We should see drier weather this afternoon with mostly cloudy skies. Highs will be in the low-to-mid 50s. Confidence: Medium

Tonight: Mostly cloudy skies with chances of drizzle returning late at night. Lows should be in the middle 40s and winds will be light and from the east. Confidence: Medium

Keep reading for the forecast through the holiday weekend...

Rainy into evening; Patchy drizzle on Tuesday

* Science historian on climate e-mails | Cruising the Atlantic *
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As Jason Samenow mentioned this morning, we're back into a damp and dreary stretch, and it looks like it lasts most of the week. Cloudy skies of this morning eventually brought light rain to much of the area, which will continue at times into the evening. Highs near 50 occurred late morning most spots before rain knocked pretty much everyone back into the upper 40s. A wind from the north and east has added to the rawness by lowering wind chills near 40 at times.

Radar: Latest regional radar shows movement of precipitation over past three hours. Powered by HAMweather. Refresh page to update. Click here or on image to enlarge. Or see radar bigger on our Weather Wall.

Through Tonight: The worst of the rain should wind down this evening, but scattered showers or drizzle are possible through the night. Additional rainfall should generally be light as low pressure lifts northeast and away from the area. Temperatures slowly drop to the mid-40s, maybe some low 40s.

Tomorrow (Tuesday): There could be a few showers still around in the morning. Otherwise, we're cloudy with some drizzle possible throughout the day. Highs should make the low, perhaps middle, 50s. Winds will be light from the north.

See Jason Samenow's full forecast through the beginning of next week. And if you haven't already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Snow politics: Arizona Senator John McCain is threatening to block confirmation of USDA nominees if the U.S. Forest Service refuses to allow Arizona Snowbowl's request to use snowmaking equipment fed by treated wastewater. The Forest Service says the plan is moving forward, albeit slowly. According to Forest Service parent, the Department of Agriculture, slowness is due to attempts to forge a compromise because several Native American tribes have voiced discontent because some consider the mountain sacred.

* Damp Thanksgiving week: Full Forecast | Cruising the Atlantic *

A scandal erupted in the world of climate science late last week after anonymous hackers posted years worth of selected private email correspondence between a handful of prominent climate scientists. The emails were stolen from a server at the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit in Britain.

Climate skeptics -- those who either doubt the mainstream consensus that Earth has warmed during the past century or who doubt human influence is the primary cause of any warming -- have seized upon the contents of the emails as evidence that mainstream climate scientists have been involved in a conspiracy to block those with alternative views from publishing papers in academic journals, in addition to other allegations.

Although the personal emails do not provide any scientific evidence that would counter the scientific consensus that human emissions are altering the climate system, they are likely to be politically damaging, because they raise the appearance of impropriety in the scientific process.

In one of the messages, Phil Jones, who heads up Britain's government-run Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, alluded to a "trick" that a colleague performed to analyze historical temperature data. You can read up on the specifics of the scandal, and why that particular email may not be as shady as it sounds, here, here and here.

In order to shed some light on what this scandal may mean for the scientific community and for public perceptions of science, I have contacted several highly respected experts to seek their insight. Keep reading for my first interview (ironically, conducted via email), with Spencer Weart, a science historian with the American Institute of Physics.

Sunshine possibly returns next weekend

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* Science historian on climate scandal | Sea & sky over the Atlantic *

EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: Periods of light rain/drizzle. 47-51. | Tonight: Chance of light rain/drizzle. 44-47. | Tomorrow: A.M. drizzle, then mostly cloudy. 50-54. | A Look Ahead | Get Express Forecast by E-mail

FORECAST IN DETAIL

We seem to be alternating between generally sunny and dry stretches and cloudy and damp stretches. The weekend brought an end to a sunny one so now we begin another which will be cloudy. Regrettably, this cloudy, cool, and damp stretch may extend right on through Thanksgiving. Early indications, however, are that a sunny period may come back for next weekend.

Radar: Latest regional radar shows movement of precipitation over past three hours. Powered by HAMweather. Refresh page to update. Click here or on image to enlarge. Or see radar bigger on our Weather Wall.

Today (Monday): Weak low pressure to the south and moist flow from the northeast (winds at around 10 mph) will combine to give us periods of light rain and drizzle today. Temps will be chilly, mainly holding in the upper 40s in most spots with perhaps a 50 degree reading or two around. Rainfall totals shouldn't be more than a couple tenths of an inch. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: There's a 40% chance of light rain, but probably mostly drizzle will linger once the low pressure system passes to our north. Winds will be from the north around 5-10 mph. Confidence: Medium-High

Keep reading for the forecast through the work week...