Hark! Is that rain I see on the horizon? Indeed it is. That green stuff on the radar signifies the first significant rainfall for the DMV in quite some time. In fact, you may not have realized it, but the last 90 days have been near historic levels of dryness
Tonight: Rain showers should move into the DC area between 6-8pm. Precipitation will remain scattered for a few hours before a steadier rain builds overnight. Rainfall amounts will generally be around a quarter of an inch or so. Overnight lows will settle in the low to mid 40s. Some areas, well outside of the metro locations, could even fall into the upper 30s with the assistance of some rain cooler air. Light northwest wind at 5 mph.
Tuesday: The steady rain should end in the early morning. Some scattered showers are possible, but give how dry the atmosphere is, I suspect the precipitation cut off will be sharp. Skies will brighten rather quickly by tomorrow afternoon, pushing temperatures up to around 60 degrees. Winds remain light out of the northwest at 5-10 mph.
November rain: Yes, it’s the best Guns and Roses song, but it’s also sorely needed around these parts. Take a look at where the last 3 months stand in terms of precipitation amounts at National. You’ll notice that our 2016 rainfall amounts (green line) hovers just above the record low year of 1941 (red line) and well below our standard average (brown line) for this time of year.
90 day accumulated precipitation at Reagan National. Via Cornell