Nearing Normal November

Now

Sunny, mild. After temperatures running at or above average for 4 out of the first 5 days this month, a cooler spell is poised to arrive in the Washington metro area. Under nearly clear skies this afternoon, temperatures are almost uniformly in the low 60s throughout the region. The daily highs were: National and Dulles 62°, BWI 61°. Humidity is also quite low with dewpoints generally in the low 30s and even a few upper 20s, but an approaching cold front is bringing with it the possibility of some showers tonight.

Temperature chart at 3pm today from Unisys shows cold air massing from the Northern Plains to southern Canada, ready to sweep eastward with the coolest temperatures of the season for the Mid Atlantic region.

Tonight and Tomorrow

Cloudy, chance of showers, then clearing and cooler. This evening's forecast is brought to you by guest second shift meteorologist Claudio Vernight. Along with the clouds, there is a 50% chance of showers tonight after 8 p.m. Lows will be in the low to mid 40s. Following a lingering chance of showers in the morning, clouds will give way to sunshine and breezy conditions tomorrow with afternoon highs 53-57°.

For the outlook through the rest of the week and into the weekend, scroll on down to Dan's post below.

Tropical Topics: Naming Names

Except for the myriad of storms called "Not Named" before 1950, this year's Noel was only the 9th "N" storm (2 of which were also named Noel, in 1995 and 2001) to occur in the Atlantic . The others, in alphabetical order, were Nadine (2000), Nana (1990), Nate (2005), Nicholas (2003), and Nicole (1998, 2004). Nicole 1998 and Noel 2001 were the only other November storms; the others all occurred earlier in the season.

Weather on the Go

The latest (December) issue of PC World has a pointer to the National Weather Service cell phone data page. Features available include: Detailed 7-day Forecast, Your Local Radar, Current Conditions, Satellite Image, Hazardous Weather, and Area Forecast Discussion for individual locations, plus regional radars, surface observations, satellite images, convective outlooks, and tropical weather.