The Power of Easterly Winds:
If you've been a Washingtonian for awhile (and by this I mean living near the city for more than 10 years), you probably have some solid background knowledge on this area's climatology. And if you're a true weather nerd, and pay extra close attention to local meteorologists during winter storms, you know that an easterly breeze off the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean means almost certain death to wintry precipitation in and around the metro regions.

Case in point, winds have been blowing out of the east pretty much all day today--directly off the comparatively warmer waters of the Bay Atlantic Ocean. Temperatures at Reagan National Airport have risen 3 degrees in the last 3 hours, turning a pure freezing rain to a cold rain at 36 degrees.

Temperatures are expected to continue rising overnight as easterly winds persist, changing the wintry mix to a plain rain into Frederick and Loudon Counties. Areas in southern PA will see anywhere from 3-8 inches of snow and ice accumulation before this system wraps up tomorrow morning.

Nonetheless, roadways are still slick in and around the DC area, and parts of north central MD have already seen close to .5 inches of ice accumulation. Use extra caution tonight, especially on the secondary roads and overpasses.