Update: Light Rain and Patchy Ice Settle In

Late-day travel could be tricky for far north & west burbs

Winter Weather Advisory in effect through 9 a.m. tomorrow N&W of D.C. (includes Loudoun, Montgomery, Howard and Fauquier counties and points N&W)

Right Now: The morning has come and gone with few problems in the immediate metro area, as expected. Precipitation has been spotty and intermittent, and locally has been mostly in the form of plain rain, with temperatures mainly between 32-34 degrees. The far north and west suburbs (Loudoun, Frederick and Fauquier counties) have seen patchy sleet and freezing rain, with temperatures right at or just below freezing.

This Afternoon & Tonight: The time and place to watch will be this afternoon/evening's commute home, primarily along and to the north and west of a line from Gaithersburg, Md. to Leesburg, Va., where the combination of some heavier precipitation (sleet and freezing rain), loss of daylight, and temperatures possibly sinking a degree or two could make for some tricky travel conditions.

That's not to say that some slick spots won't form in the closer-in north and west suburbs during the late afternoon and evening. But widespread icing is not expected for the immediate metro area, where plain rain may end up being the predominant precipitation type.

Overnight, temperatures rise a little, into the mid 30s, and precipitation turns to plain rain area-wide. In fact, quite a bit of rain could fall late tonight through midday tomorrow, before tapering in the afternoon.

See Matt Rogers' forecast for tomorrow through the weekend.