After residents wrangled with the coldest air in 11 years, forecasters said a pre-Inauguration Day winter storm could be looming.
Two storms are expected to move through the Northeast in the next 72 hours that could bring snow to the area by Sunday afternoon.
"With the air mass we have in place right now anything that falls will fall as snow," said National Weather Service Forecaster Howard Silverman.
The ground work for snow may have already been laid, said Silverman.
Despite the sunshine that blanketed the area on Friday, weather remained frigid as temperatures hovered around 14 degrees.
Factor in the wind chill -- what the air feels like when the wind starts blowing -- and some places saw temperatures that dipped into the single digits.
Friday's official high temperature at National Airport was a balmy 18 degrees. The last time it was that cold was in February 1996 -- the same year of the infamous Blizzard of '96 that buried cities and towns from Boston to Washington under more than 20 inches of snow.
Those who had to brave the weather and work outside Friday did what they could to stay warm.
"I'm wearing layers, T-shirt, sweatshirt, jacket and long johns. You just gotta keep moving," said Todd Fish of Stafford.
He and his construction crew were working to move utility lines near the U.S. 1-Neabsco Creek improvement project.
His supervisor, Kevin Hutson, said they started working at 5 a.m. and would log more than 10 hours working outside in the cold, only to come back today to do it again.
The National Weather Service predicted a 50 percent chance of snow Sunday, but said accumulations would likely remain below an inch.
Temperatures are forecast to rise into the lower to mid-20s today, and could warm up into the mid-30s by Sunday.
Those 30-degree-temperatures will most likely stick around all day Monday and Tuesday, as millions are expected for the swearing-in of Barack Obama.
There is a 60 percent chance of snow both Sunday night and Monday morning.
Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.
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