Some snow showers today; slightly warmer by Sunday

* Also on CWG: Photo Contest Winners | Late morning: Rogue Waves *

A chance of snow showers will be the opening act for our reinforced chilliness today and tomorrow. BUNDLE UP! Wind chills both days will struggle to get to freezing. The trend? From highs in the upper 30s today and tomorrow, to perhaps upper 40s Monday. Who knew upper 40s would sound so warm? After today's possible snow showers, our next chance of precipitation may be some rain showers on Monday.

TODAY (FRIDAY)

Clouds and sun. Snow showers. Upper 30s. Our chilly streak (these temperatures would be below average even in January) will not only continue but be reinforced by yesterday's cold front. Most spots will only warm to the upper 30s. Brrr! Your chance of seeing a snow shower? About 50%. Winds will blow from the northwest around 15-20 mph with some higher gusts. Wind chills will likely stay in the 20s for most of the day.

Any snow showers should quickly dissipate this evening. But it will continue to be quite brisk as evening temperatures drop into the low 30s and winds persist. Clearing skies and diminishing winds will allow overnight lows to sink all the way to the mid 20s in D.C., upper teens to low 20s in the suburbs.

Confidence: Medium-High

This is crazy cold! How long will it last? Keep reading for the answer. If you get a picture of any snowflakes today, why not upload it to our new users photo gallery. And if you missed it, check out our 2008-09 Winter Outlook.

More snow showers possible 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.

Cold air eased just a bit today, but more is now ready to rush back into the area. Highs that generally topped out in the mid 40s (still well below normal) are beginning to fall back behind a cold front that has helped whip winds back into a frenzy. These winds, gusting as high as 30 mph this afternoon, will continue to do so for a few more hours before beginning to weaken a bit this evening.

Tonight: We stay mostly cloudy and cold overnight. Look for lows to reach the mid 20s in the colder suburbs to right around 30 in D.C. Winds that gust early will drop off to around 10 mph by morning.

Tomorrow: Friday will be another cold one with numerous clouds. Much like we saw Tuesday, conversational snow showers should dot the landscape during the day. Though there will be no real accumulation in the area, snow squalls may be briefly moderate where they occur. Highs should reach the upper 30s just about everywhere as breezes continue around 15-20 mph from the northwest.

See Josh's full forecast through the beginning of next week, and check out our recently released 2008-2009 Winter Outlook.

Creative snapshots of the sky

* CWG's Winter Outlook and Q&A Transcript | Full Forecast *

Photo contest top 10 pick. By Bennett Lipscomb. Taken from Mt. Pleasant on June 7, 2008.

Our skies are constantly showing us the world of weather; all it takes is one click in the right direction at the right time to capture their creativity. As suspected, there are many never-before-seen images of amazing D.C. area weather sitting in computers and albums across the region, just waiting for some time in the public eye.

Thank you to all who entered our photo contest. Many of the pictures we received displayed colorful, unique and awe-inspiring views. We looked at how well they showed patterns and textures, rare and exceptional clouds, and optical effects, in addition to their overall "wow factor."

Keep reading for the rest of CWG's top 10 photo picks. Also, see these photos on our new users photo gallery, and contribute your own.

* CWG's Winter Outlook and Q&A | Late Morning: Photo Contest Winners *

After two days in a row of temperatures that didn't make it past 40 in most areas, we'll see the cold air retreat a bit today (in relative terms, as temperatures will still be below normal). But a reinforcing shot of cold air will dive into the area by tomorrow bringing blustery winds, abnormally low temperatures and the chance for a few flakes on Friday. Cold high pressure will foster a sunny, dry weekend with slowly moderating temperatures.

TODAY (THURSDAY)

Partly sunny, milder. Mid 40s. While air temperatures today won't be quite as nippy as the past few days -- thanks to a bit of slightly milder air creeping into the area ahead of another blast of cold air -- blustery conditions will still make it feel plenty cold. A mix of clouds and sun will produce afternoon highs in the mid 40s. Northwesterly winds from 15-25 mph will yield wind chills in the 30s, however, and temperatures may fall rather noticeably by late afternoon.

Quite cold again tonight with partly cloudy skies and winds diminishing somewhat. Temperatures should drop to the low 20s in places like Oakton and Germantown and to the upper 20s downtown.

Confidence: Medium-High

Does it get any warmer? Keep reading for the forecast through the beginning of next week.

Slightly warmer Thursday before more cold arrives

* CWG's Winter Outlook and Q&A | Tomorrow: Photo Contest Winners *

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.

Temperatures running 10 to 15 degrees below average continue to grip the D.C. area, despite plenty of sunshine today. Winds have tended to calm a bit compared to yesterday, though they still created wind chill readings in the mid and upper 20s this afternoon. High clouds now moving into the area will lower and thicken a bit this evening, but no precipitation is expected.

Tonight: It is going to be quite cold again overnight as lows range from the mid 20s to around 30 across the area. Clouds that should be prevalent most of the night will help keep readings a bit warmer than last night, and winds will die off to around 5 mph.

Tomorrow: After a mostly cloudy start, Thursday will feature mixed sun and clouds. Highs should top out in the mid-to-upper 40s prior to another cold front arriving on the heels of an upper-level disturbance passing by. Behind the front, winds will once again whip up from the northwest -- this time gusting to 20 mph+ during the afternoon into the evening.

See Jason's full forecast through the weekend.

Does D.C. snow continue its decline?

* Q&A Transcript: Matt Ross, Outlook Lead Forecaster | Near-term Forecast *

For local snow lovers, it's the sorry truth: average seasonal snowfall has been dropping and dropping fast over the past 120 years. Around the turn of the 20th century, Washingtonians would typically shovel about 23" of snow (averaged over a 15-year period) per season. In the last 15 years, we've averaged a paltry 14" a year. The long-term trend is to drop about 1" every 15 years. At the current rate of decline, single-digit seasonal snow totals will become the norm in many of our lifetimes when they used to be the exception.

Keep reading for more on our snow starvation, and our outlook for snow and cold this winter. Stay with us all winter long for the latest forecast -- rain, snow or shine -- including accumulation maps, storm timelines, SchoolCast and more.

* Also on CWG: Our Winter Outlook & Live Chat (1 p.m.) | Weather Wall *

The calendar says fall, but the coldest weather since late last February has arrived and appears to be going nowhere. We probably won't escape the 40s at least through the weekend (and possibly through much of next week) despite average highs in the mid 50s. This cold pattern is a dry one, with a Thursday night or Friday snow flurry the only possible precipitation through the weekend.

TODAY (WEDNESDAY)

Partly sunny and cold. 37-41. Don't forget your gloves this morning, as most spots will be in the 20s when you get up and head out. By noon, sunny skies will help increase temperatures to the mid 30s . Then, some high clouds may move in during the afternoon capping high temperatures around 40 degrees. Winds from the northwest at 10-15 mph will make it feel at or below freezing much of the day.

Partly cloudy overnight with lows 26-31 (suburbs-city).

Confidence: Medium-High

Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend.

Cold and breezy conditions Wednesday

*** Coming Tomorrow: CWG's Winter Outlook & Live Chat (at 1p.m.) ***

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.

Midwinter-like chill has settled in, and it has brought conversational snow showers along -- the trace of snow recorded at National Airport is a record for the date. Highs generally reached the upper 30s to around 40, and temperatures will fall back through the 30s as we head toward evening. Wind gusts as high as 30-35 mph are creating afternoon wind chill values in the mid 20s.

Remaining snow showers will dwindle as the sun sets, but bundle up if headed out this evening because it will be very cold!

Tonight: Get ready for the coldest night of the season so far. As clouds depart and skies trend mostly clear, lows will range from the low 20s in the coldest suburbs to the upper 20s in D.C. Winds will slacken overnight, but they should continue to blow from the northwest up to 20 mph early before weakening to around 10 mph by morning.

Tomorrow: January-like conditions continue Wednesday. Look for a little less in the way of clouds during the day, which will not matter much when it comes to temperatures, as highs should only rise to around 40 in most locations. Winds will also be lighter than today, though still somewhat of a nuisance, as they occasionally gust over 15 mph from the northwest.

See Matt's full forecast through the weekend.

Snow sightings are being reported across the D.C. region. The first local Tweet came about an hour ago, and Twitter users have posted dozens of sightings since.

The flakes were few and far between, but they were unmistakably the white fluffy stuff.

A few of the sightings:

From zsafavian in D.C.: Lots and lots of snow swirling around outside our window. Yay!

From jmartinisu in Arlington: Snow? I'm just not ready for you to come yet.

From nowells in D.C.: SNOW!!!.....well sort of.

Related Links: CWG's Forecast in Detail | Weather Wall
Tomorrow: CWG's Winter Outlook & Live Chat (1 p.m.)

*** Tomorrow: CWG's Winter Outlook & Live Chat (1 p.m.) | Forecast ***

A close-up view of Saturday's rainbow in Oakton, Va., with a bit of autumn foliage.

The rainbow Saturday afternoon was brief, lasting a only a few minutes in central Fairfax County. It occurred as a second line of showers pushed through the area during the late afternoon, putting an end to an unseasonably warm day that saw highs in the mid 70s. The sun broke through the clouds to the west as the showers moved northeast, which produced a vivid rainbow in the eastern sky. I took a few photos before clouds quickly obscured the sun and the rainbow disappeared. The same rainbow was seen from Byrd Stadium during the Maryland-North Carolina football game.

Keep reading to see more pictures of the rainbow.