Capital Weather Gang: D.C.-area forecast: Morning ice concerns, then warmer the rest of the weekend with more showers Sunday

* Winter weather advisory for D.C. area | Freezing rain advisory south of D.C. area *

6:20 a.m. update: Freezing rain is ongoing, with the heaviest focused over the northern half of our area. Temperatures remain below freezing here and well to the south, so the changeover to rain is not yet imminent. It continues to appear that much of the area will rise above freezing over the next several hours. Reports are limited this early, but indications are that it is very slick in many spots and accidents are occurring.

Temperatures as of 6:20 a.m. (NWS Electronic Data Display)

From 5:00 a.m…

TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT
A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of 0 to 10.

3/10: Beware of icy issues in the morning, but conditions improve as we get into midday. Milder, too.

EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: Freezing rain to rain, then cloudy. Highs: 40s to near 50.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Passing shower. Lows: 47-54.
Tomorrow: Showers. Highs: Mid-50s to low 60s.

View the current weather at The Washington Post headquarters.

FORECAST IN DETAIL

If you’re slip-sliding around this morning, just keep in mind that we’re about to ditch this deep winter for the weekend, and there’s nothing quite as intense as what we just went through in the near future. But if you can, you definitely might want to consider delaying any outdoor travel or other activities until midday or so, especially north and west of the city. Must be out and about? Do at least exercise extra caution.

Today (Saturday): Freezing rain and rain showers are likely this morning, especially over the northern half of the area. Many spots should start out with freezing rain, but temperatures rise with the sun. The District and south or east may not see a whole lot of glaze, but keep in mind it takes only a tiny bit to cause problems. If you’re out this morning, it’s probably best to assume there’s some ice around. Between about sunrise and 10 a.m., or a little thereafter, we should see the freezing line move out of our area and to the north. Our northern and northwesternmost suburbs stand the best shot at getting more than nuisance levels of ice, but even there it should stay below “major problem” level. Precipitation tends to really wind down by midday, although a couple of stray showers may move by in the afternoon. Highs should largely reach the 40s to around 50 — some chance higher, but the cold “wedge” is hard to fully break. Confidence: Medium