Northern Virginia Weather: Big Changes Ahead

STERLING, VA—One more day, boys and girls. One more day—Saturday— of generally yucky weather conditions. After that, well, this weekend marks a welcome transition for the Northern Virginia area, with highs actually flirting with 70 degrees. That's the word from the National Weather Service and other area forecasting outlets.

As for Sunday, there's this from the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang: "With a strong low pressure system passing to our west, we should see the cold air that’s been stuck at the surface finally get dislodged. South winds transport warmer air into the region." In other words, ditch the heavy coats—and you might not need them anytime soon, at least during daylight hours.

So there you go. Here's the detailed forecast from the National Weather Service's local bureau in Sterling:

Saturday: A slight chance of rain after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday Night: Rain, mainly after 7pm. Low around 38. Southeast wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Sunday: A chance of showers before 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. South wind 6 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 59.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 49.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 52.

Wednesday Night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Thursday Night: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Friday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 66.