EVENING UPDATE: NICE AND COMFORTABLE FOR TONIGHT. PREPARE FOR A WET MORNING COMMUTE ON TUESDAY WITH UNSEASONABLY MILD TEMPS.

Come on Mr. Groundhog…you had one job! Mr. Phil the Groundhog isn’t the only “weather forecaster” who makes mistakes. Remember when he saw his shadow last week (which hinted 6 more weeks of winter)? Well, today was quite the fair weather day with sunny skies and near 60-degree temperatures (10+ degrees above normal). Tuesday will feature above average (and possibly above record) temperatures creeping past the 64-degree record which was set back in 2008 for DCA and BWI. If this is what “6 more weeks of winter” will look like, then we might as well transition right into Spring! According to our UMD poll question, a few of our Twitter followers were in favor of an early Spring. Enjoy the nice temperatures for this evening and tomorrow!

UMD Twitter poll question created by UMD Weather Forecaster Cody Snell. Follow @UMD_WEATHER for more weather updates and poll questions!

Through Tonight: Increasing cloud cover will keep temperatures on the milder side tonight. We’re looking at lows in the low-to-mid 40’s with 5 to 10 mph winds out of the south. For those who are planning on walking the dog tonight, keep in mind there will be a slight chance for a late night drizzle North and West of DC. After 1 a.m., scattered showers will start to move in.
 
Tomorrow (Tuesday): Overall, warm and rainy! Keep your umbrellas on deck and prepare for a wet commute. During the early morning hours, cloudy skies will accompany widespread rain showers lasting from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. in areas extending from Southern Maryland to Baltimore. There is a chance for a few stray showers to appear throughout the remainder of the evening.Take a look at the 50-degree dewpoints (see first image below). A nice southerly flow will move in a warm and comfortable air mass with sustained wind speeds ranging between 5-15 mph. Wind gusts will add on breezier conditions as they approach up to 20 mph. We will be competing with record high temperatures on Tuesday. Unseasonably mild air will push temperatures to the upper 60’s in the Balt/Washington area (see last image below).

TERPWRF displays dewpoint temperature reading in the 50’s (light green) color for Tuesday around 1 p.m. 50-degree dewpoint combined with mid-60 degree temperatures will result in a comfortable and pleasant air mass. (via UMD TROWAL)

TERPWRF model in favor of high temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60’s on Tuesday around 4 p.m.