Hard Rain Gonna Fall?

Well, not yet, anyway. Despite a nearly stationary front lurking in the vicinity and juicy dewpoints for the season in the mid to upper 50s, rain showers have been slow to penetrate the drought-dogged DC metro area. I encountered a brief shower in the Shady Grove area of Rockville/Gaithersburg early this afternoon, but it was barely enough for a few swipes of the windshield wipers. National Airport reported less than half an hour of light rain in the 2-3pm hour; the total amount was a trace, and Dulles received the same amount. Radar at mid afternoon showed some showers generally eastward from near Charlottesville across the Northern Neck and up and down most of the Eastern Shore.

Live radar loop above, courtesy WJLA. Refresh page to update.

Temperatures are holding in the mid 60s under easterly winds, although National was 2 degrees higher at noon with 67.

Mr. Model, the PM edition, (or at least the first one out of the gate) is still insisting on getting some rain onto the ground by 8pm tonight, but from the looks of things right now, the best chance for some drought-denting, if not drought-busting, rain in the next 36 hours looks like the period from late morning Saturday through Saturday evening. The heaviest amounts, however, are predicted to the northwest of the District. The graphic to the right shows the model forecast of the 12-hr precipitation ending at 8pm Saturday. The amounts in blue range up to 1.25"

Tonight and Tomorrow

Lows tonight under overcast skies will be in the mid to upper 50s. The chance of showers will increase from 60% through this evening to near 100% by tomorrow morning. The best chance of showers this evening is southeast of the Beltway. Showers and possibly thunderstorms are likely tomorrow with highs in the mid 60s.

Which Way the Wind Blows

Regular readers may recall that we remarked last year on the fact that Bob Dylan's music is heavily influenced by weather imagery. Yesterday's WaPo Reliable Source column revealed that Dylan's debut as a disc jockey on DC-based XM Satellite Radio May 3 will feature an hour of weather-related music. Some of the tunes, according to the Reliable Sourceresses, include: Muddy Waters's "Blow Wind Blow," "Just Walkin' in the Rain" by the Prisonaires and "Place in the Sun" by Stevie Wonder. The XM press release gives some more details, including the fact the Stevie Wonder tune is sung in Italian. Track lists will be posted on a special Bob Dylan web page on the XM site.