New Year’s Eve forecast for D.C.

 

A festive time of year in Washington, D.C.

The weather forecast for New Year’s Eve is often of special interest since so many people plan to be out celebrating. The average high/low temperatures in the nation’s capital on December 31 are 46°/32°, according to NOAA.

Washingtonians have enjoyed a streak of seven consecutive warmer-than-average New Year’s Eves. The last time it was colder than average on December 31 was in 2017 during a stretch of frigid weather. 

DC’s high/low temperatures on December 31, 2017, were only 23°/18°. It was one of nine days between December 28, 2017 and January 7, 2018, that daily high temperatures remained at or below freezing. This remains one of DC’s coldest stretches in recent memory that coincided with the New Year’s holiday.

By comparison, DC’s high/low temperatures on December 31, 2024, were a relatively balmy 63°/40°.  DC’s record high on December 31 is 70° and occurred in 1970. More recently, it was 67° on December 31, 1992. DC’s record low on December 31 is -13° from 1880.

Aside from being mild on recent New Year’s Eves in the nation’s capital, three of the last four also featured measurable rainfall. Fortunately, while damp, no record rainfall occurred in Washington, D.C. on December 31 in recent years. DC’s wettest New Year’s Eve was in 1975 with 1.68” of rain. There hasn’t been any snow on New Years Eve in recent years across the DMV (D.C., Maryland and Virginia). DC’s snowiest December 31 on record occurred in 1970 (4.9”).

This New Year’s Eve will be colder than average for the first time in eight years and will also be dry.