TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of 0 to 10.  7/10: A close to normal mid-December day. Wind (-1) and weekend (+1) cancel each other out.  Today: Variably cloudy, breezy. Highs: 43-50. Tonight: Partly to mostly clear. Lows: 27-34. Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, breezy. Highs: 46-53.  I think the best news about the forecast may be the lack of storminess, plus the odds of seeing a good deal of sunshine. Both are rare commodities around here of late. No doubt the clouds and precipitation will be back in earnest at some point, so enjoy it while we’ve got it. A minor “December thaw” (though it really hasn’t been too frozen) is at hand.  Today (Saturday): Average highs are in the 40s across the area, 47 is normal for today at National Airport. That’s about what we get on this one. Not too bad really, as long a you’re dressed for that slow-to-budge offshore storm helping keep the winds up. I think we’ll see periods of good sunshine, but with a fast flow aloft I wouldn’t be surprised to see a cloudier period or two either. Highs are around 43 in the hills north and west to perhaps as high as the upper 40s in D.C., even around 50 if we’re lucky or you happen to be further south. Northwest winds blow around 10 to 15 mph, with gusts past 20 mph. Confidence: High  Tonight: Winds diminish a bit by evening as we lose the effect of meager daytime heating, which keeps the atmosphere well mixed while it’s ongoing. Skies are partly to mostly clear. A good time to gaze up at the sky, as the Geminid meteor shower is at peak in the post-midnight to pre-dawn period. If you do head out late (or is it early?), plan on temperatures in the upper 20s and lower 30s across the area. Winds probably slacken to around 5 mph, plus a higher gust or two. Confidence: High  For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend…  Tomorrow (Sunday): As CWG’s Camden Walker likes to say, this day lives up to its name. Sunshine rules, and temperatures tick up a notch. Unfortunately I don’t have news of the end of our run in with wind just yet, but we’ll manage. Those blasts of air blow out of the north around 10 to 15 mph. Afternoon highs range from the mid-40s north and west, to the near 50 or low 50s range around the city and southeast. Confidence: Medium-High  Tomorrow night: Plan on mostly clear and calm. A quiet end to a tranquil weather weekend. This once-chilled air mass is becoming a little stale, so lows are up compared to recent nights. It’s still cool though, since it is December of course. The typically colder suburbs may settle to around freezing, while much of the area makes the low-to-mid 30s. Maybe 37 in D.C. Confidence: Medium-High  It’s sort of a shame we have to go back to work, because Monday might be the nicest day we’ve seen in a while. High pressure passes overhead and that means loads of sun and little in the way of wind. It’s not really a toasty air mass, but a bit above normal for the time of year. Highs should head toward the near 50 to mid-50s range. Get out the sunscreen! Or at least peel off a layer or two. Confidence: Medium-High  High pressure doesn’t choose to be a long-term guest and a low moving through the Great Lakes helps get an even milder flow going for a short time on Tuesday. Moisture is also on the increase, so temperatures may be slightly tempered by not maximizing any sun we can get this time of year. Even if clouds are numerous, highs heading into the low-and-mid 50s seem a good bet. Perhaps even higher. A risk of some light showers may increase during the afternoon or evening. Confidence: Medium  Ian Livingston is a forecaster/photographer and information lead for the Capital Weather Gang. By day, Ian is a defense and national security researcher at a D.C. think tank.
While winter winds are in no big hurry to depart, temperatures are on the way up over the next few days. It should be a run of sunnier conditions as well.