Forecast: Arctic Air's Last Gasp, For Now

* 2009 Washington Area Weather Calendar | Later: Snow Shutout *

EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: Sunny and cold, 37-40 | Tonight: Partly cloudy, mid- to upper 20s | Tomorrow: Sunny and warmer, 49-52 | A Look Ahead

FORECAST IN DETAIL

By Brian Jackson

Cold air persists today behind the cold front that soaked us just a couple days ago. Gradually this weekend though, sunny skies will raise temperatures and spirits. A short but steady warming trend begins tomorrow and will continue into Monday before our next weather maker arrives on Monday night into Tuesday, dropping temperatures back to near normal levels.

Today (Saturday): Notwithstanding plenty of sunshine, we've got to endure one more day of a wintry chill. Afternoon highs may touch 40, but will probably stay in the upper 30s for the majority of us. The chilly air will be accompanied by a cold breeze from the northwest at 5-15 mph. Confidence: High

Tonight: Mostly clear and starry skies will allow your overnight lows to drop into the mid- to upper 20s downtown. Winds will shift from out of the northwest to out of the south overnight but remain light at around 5 mph. Depending on when this wind shift occurs, some suburbs may see lows approaching 20. Confidence: Medium-High

Keep reading for the forecast through Tuesday...

Tomorrow (Sunday): As opposed to last week's warm-up that was compromised by clouds and rain, tomorrow we'll have a warm-up with lots of sunshine. A wind from the south around 10 mph will help boost afternoon highs near 50 degrees. Consider taking along your sunglasses if you plan to be out and about. Confidence: High

Tomorrow Night: Some high clouds will begin to stream overhead late into the night tomorrow. I'm going to go with at least partly cloudy skies overnight, thickening towards morning. Temperatures will be comparatively warmer than recent nights, with overnight lows in the lower 40s (30s in the colder suburbs). Our winds from the south will persist at 5-10 mph. Confidence: Medium-High

A LOOK AHEAD

Monday we'll be seeing temperatures nearly 10 degrees above normal. Skies will turn mostly cloudy during the day and clouds may hold down high temperatures a tad. Still, we should reach into the upper 50s in most areas. 60 is not out of the question if the clouds stay broken. Rain showers will likely move in late and may affect the area in the overnight hours. Confidence: Medium

Tuesday, our next cold front arrives but will be losing steam as it approaches -- possibly delaying the onset of precipitation. Rain chances will most likely before noon I'll give them a 50% chance of materializing. Generally overcast skies will make for a cooler afternoon with highs in the low 50s. Confidence: Medium