After a brief temperature spike into Saturday, another Arctic chill will settle into the Capital Area. This one will be colder than the last, and could bring a bout of wintry mischief.

Tonight & Tomorrow: After a period with high clouds during the evening, skies will clear out overnight. Capital Area residents will wake up to full sunshine on Friday morning with a chilly morning low in the upper-30s. Despite a sunny start, clouds will arrive around midday. These will increase through the afternoon until skies take on an overcast appearance. A few sprinkles will be possible late in the day. Look for a high temperature in the mid-60s. 

The Weekend: Afternoon sprinkles will graduate to isolated showers late Friday, some of which could carry over into Saturday morning. Don't be surprised to heat a few rumbles of thunder also. Rain will exit through the day as a cold front enters the region. Before its passage, temperatures will top out in the low-70s on Saturday afternoon. Then it gets cold. Highs will be limited to the 40s on Sunday in spite of full sunshine. A brisk north wind will put wind chills about 5-10° colder than the air temperature. Runners in the Louisiana Marathon will face drastically different conditions depending on which day they're competing. 5k and quarter marathon runners on Saturday should prepare for wet pavement and temperatures in the mid to upper-60s, whereas half and full marathon contestants will face sunshine with temperatures near 40°. 

Arctic Blast: The talk of the town lately seems to have centered on a chance of wintry precipitation next week. While the signal still exists in computer model guidance, there is still much to be determined. Just about anything is possible - snow, sleet, freezing rain, chilly rain, or nothing at all. It will all come down to how much Gulf moisture can overlap with a frigid air mass already in place. Be sure to watch out for updates from the Storm Station, especially over the weekend as things come into focus. Should impacts occur, it would happen around Tuesday.

By next week, morning lows will at least dip into the mid-20s. That is hard freeze territory, meaning that now is the time to make sure any outdoor exposed plumbing is wrapped and insulated. Daytime highs will be in the 40s on most days, but wintry precipitation could result in even cooler highs (even lows) depending on how things play out.

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-- Meteorologist Malcolm Byron