PM Update: Cold tonight, with a freeze warning north and west

Low temperature forecast for Thursday from the National Weather Service. (weatherbell.com)

* Freeze warning for northwest Montgomery, northwest Howard, western Loudoun and northern Fauquier counties from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. Thursday *

Classic spring overtook the area today. Near-average temperatures reaching highs around 60 felt a touch cool if you caught a breeze, but in the sun, all was grand. With cherry blossoms reaching the end of peak bloom and the weekend still ahead, you might consider a trip down there as soon as possible. If you do so this evening or especially Thursday morning, grab a jacket.

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Through Tonight: There will be some increase in clouds through the evening as a cold front moves this way. We could see a brief sprinkle in the hours around midnight. Lows will range across the 30s, with outer suburbs north and west falling to near freezing. Winds will increase and turn to come from the northwest after midnight and behind the front.

View the current weather at The Washington Post.

Tomorrow (Thursday): It will be another pleasant one, a bit like today, minus 5 degrees or so. Skies will be mainly sunny and there’s a decent chance that winds will be lighter, as well. Temperatures will mainly reach the mid-50s for highs.

See Dan Stillman’s forecast through the weekend. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For related traffic news, check out Gridlock.

Pollen update: Tree pollen is moderate at 47.9 grains per cubic meter of air. Grass pollen and mold spores are both low.

Freeze warnings north and west suburbs early Thursday: Temperatures will briefly fall to near-freezing in locations like western Loudoun County and northwest Montgomery County, as well as places north or west of there. Winds and temperatures only nearing these levels for a few hours should limit risk to new growth.

At Dulles, there have been freezes as late as May in about a dozen years, including as recently as 2013 on May 14. Over the last 30 winters there, the average final freeze is April 20, or still about three weeks from now. The reason for the freeze warnings in late March in areas that can still expect more freezes most years is the early arrival of spring across much of the area. In the mountains to the west, freeze warnings are not in effect because the growing season has not yet started.

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