Forecast: Late-Week Warm-up Will be Brief

* Inauguration: A Struggle to Stay Warm | Later: How Warm/Cool Was '08? *

EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: Partly sunny. Near 30. Wind chills teens to low 20s. | Tonight: Becoming mostly clear. Mid teens to low 20s. | Tomorrow: Partly to mostly sunny. Near 40. | A Look Ahead

FORECAST IN DETAIL

This is quite the long-lasting chill I'd say. We haven't broken 40 degrees at Reagan National Airport since Jan. 8. Yesterday, the high only made it to 30 -- even with the body heat of more than 1 million people on the Mall. We finally have a chance to eclipse 40 tomorrow, and will most certainly climb past that mark Friday. But the warmth won't last the weekend.

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.

Today (Wednesday): If you spent any time outside yesterday (and many of you spent a lot of time outside), then today's weather will seem quite familiar. Highs probably only reach near 30 with partly sunny skies. And it'll be breezy, but slightly less so than yesterday, with wind chills in the teens and 20s. Confidence: High

Tonight: Winds lighten up and skies go mostly clear. It's another chilly night all across the area with lows near 20 downtown, mid-to-upper teens in the burbs. Confidence: High

Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend...

Tomorrow (Thursday): Partly to mostly sunny, light winds, and highs about 10 degrees warmer than today -- near 40. It's no spring fever, but at least a chance to start thawing out. Confidence: High

Tomorrow Night: Mostly clear and not as cold as recent nights -- lows in the upper 20s to near 30. Confidence: High

A LOOK AHEAD

Partly sunny skies and flow from the southwest, ahead of an approaching cold front, will make Friday our warmest day in just over two weeks -- highs in the mid 40s to near 50. Friday night, a slight chance of a rain or snow shower as the cold front comes through; lows in the upper 20s to low 30s. Confidence: Medium-High

Told ya the warmth wouldn't last... we're back to breezy conditions Saturday with highs in the 30s. Then, very cold Saturday night with lows in the upper teens to low 20s. Confidence: Medium-High

Winds should be light on Sunday, but the coldness continues. Highs may struggle to reach the low 30s. Confidence: Medium

Next week, temperatures are likely to stay on the cold side through much of the week. And the early-to-mid part of the week could bring our next threat of wintry precipitation. Stay tuned ok?