Region Sees Season's First Snow

For the first time this season and on the eve of Thanksgiving, snowflakes, swirling and wind-driven, filled the skies here last night, suggesting that the holiday could be chilly and streets a little slippery.

By 11 p.m., an inch of snow had fallen in Damascus, in Ashburn and in Olney, according to reports made to the National Weather Service. It was a scenic snow that covered lawns, lined tree branches and largely stayed off streets. It gave a foretaste of winter with few of the burdens and hazards.

At higher elevations, such as Frostburg, Md., 2 1/2 inches of snow fell.

At 11 p.m., after at least four snowy hours at Reagan National Airport, the temperature remained above freezing.

The snow was not expected to last long after midnight, and the mercury was expected to be in the 40s today. But forecasters also predicted 25 mph winds and said tonight would be very cold, with temperatures in the 20s.

Snow on Thanksgiving is not unprecedented here, forecasters said. In 1989 more than 3 inches fell on the holiday and the previous day.