Slushy snowfall, plummeting temperatures break DC region’s warm streak

Will Vitka | will.vitka@wtop.com
March 12, 2026, 1:04 PM


Snow falls in a parking lot in Fairfax County, Virginian, on March 12, 2026. (WTOP/Scott Gelman)

Slushy snow is falling in parts of the D.C. region Thursday, as plummeting temperatures have halted a stretch of warm, sunny days.

Less than 24 hours ago, record-breaking highs reached the mid-80s. But a powerful cold front sweeping through the region has rapidly flipped the script.

Though the snowfall has been heavy at times, it’s not expected to amount to much accumulation.

“Thanks to temperatures being in the 80s the last couple of afternoons, we are not expecting much in the way of wintry accumulation besides a slushy half-inch to an inch on some of those less traveled roadways and grassy surfaces,” 7News First Alert Meteorologist Mark Peña said.

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Will Vitka
William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.
will.vitka@wtop.com