Forecast: Winds to Usher in an Arctic Chill

* SkinsCast: Brutally Cold *

EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: Precip ends early, and windy, 35-39 | Tonight: Extremely cold and windy, 15-20 | Tomorrow: Sunny, breezy and very cold, 28-32 | A Look Ahead

FORECAST IN DETAIL

By Brian Jackson

As this morning's wintry mix works its way out of the area, blustery conditions follow. High winds and some of our coldest weather to date move in late this afternoon and tomorrow. The cold air supply will be plentiful for about the next 72 hours, but little precipitation will fall through it. Then the cold air will retreat, and rain, not snow will move in. In other words, forget about a white Christmas this year.

Today (Sunday): Our wintry mixed bag of precipitation will head out of the area this morning leaving the majority of us precipitation-free by the early afternoon. As the precip moves out, strong wings move in. Cold winds from the west will increase to about 25 mph and gusts to 40+ are possible. Make sure you've got a good grip on your Christmas gifts as you make your way back to your car today! Afternoon highs will struggle to make it to 40 and with the wind it will feel downright frigid out there. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: We'll gradually clear out this evening and temperatures will steadily drop. Lows will bottom out near the 20 degree mark overnight in DC and most of suburbia will experience the mid-to-high teens. The wind stays with us blowing from the northwest at around 20 mph. This will mean wind chills approaching 5 degrees. Bundle up! Confidence: High

Keep reading for the forecast through Christmas Eve...

Tomorrow (Monday): We'll start this short work week off cold. While skies will be bright, temperatures will struggle to reach freezing. The winds stay with us, staying out of the west at 10 - 15 mph. Wind chills will make apparent temperatures remain in the low 20s at best throughout the day.

Tomorrow Night: Downright Arctic! As I'm running out of ways to emphasize cold, I should put a thesaurus on my Christmas list. Regardless, the incessant winds abate just in time to allow our temperatures to plummet. Clear, cold, and calm can be expected overnight. Lows will be bottoming out in the mid teens in the city, with some high single digits not out of the question for some of you in the more rural areas.Confidence: Medium-High

A LOOK AHEAD

It stays cold Tuesday, though conditions will feel noticeably warmer without the winds. Sunny skies will remain overhead for most of the day with day time highs in the mid-to-upper 30s. Some clouds filter in during the evening leading to a chance (50%) for rain showers overnight that could mix with sleet in a few spots. Confidence: Medium-High

Hopefully not many of you are waiting to do your traveling on Christmas Eve. If you are, wet roads will greet you but at least there won't be ice. Skies will be gray and a 50% chance for rain stays in the forecast. Your afternoon highs will approach 50 degrees. Confidence: Medium