ABC7/WJLA has released its Winter Outlook for the 2026-27 season, becoming the first of the Washington, D.C. area’s four major television networks to publish its forecast for the upcoming winter. MoCoSnow, The MoCoShow’s winter weather hub, will be taking a look at each of the four local network winter outlooks as they are released.
WJLA’s Storm Alert Weather team is forecasting a wetter-than-average winter with temperatures near to slightly above normal across the Washington region. For snowfall, the station is predicting 10-20 inches for Washington, D.C. and much of the immediate metro area, including about half of Montgomery County, with January and February expected to provide the best opportunities for meaningful accumulation.
Snowfall projections increase farther north and west. WJLA’s snowfall map places areas like the northern half of Montgomery County (starting around Gaithersburg and including Germantown, Clarksburg, Damascus, Poolesville, and more), Frederick, Hagerstown, Winchester and Martinsburg in a 15-25 inch range, with 25-30 inches projected for portions of the mountains farther west. Areas south and east of Washington are generally forecast to receive 5-15 inches.
A strengthening El Niño is expected to be one of the biggest influences on the upcoming winter. According to WJLA, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said in its October 8 update that a strong-to-very-strong El Niño is likely through January-March 2027, with odds above 83%.
While El Niño can strengthen the southern branch of the jet stream and bring more moisture-bearing storms toward the East Coast, WJLA cautions that a wetter pattern does not necessarily translate to more snow. The station expects more precipitation overall and the potential for repeated storms, including some nor’easters, but whether those systems produce rain, a wintry mix or snow will depend heavily on whether cold air is in place.
“Our early outlook points to a winter that may be wetter than average and near to slightly milder overall, with the best chance for accumulating snow in January and February,” WJLA said.
Last year, WJLA’s 2025-2026 winter outlook was pretty spot on, calling for 10-15 inches of snow for the immediate D.C. Metro area and 15-20 inches for upper Montgomery County. Areas like Bethesda, Rockville, and Silver Spring ended up in the 11-15 inch range while areas like Gaithersburg, Germantown, and Damascus ended up getting between 12-18 inches. The full 2026/2027 Winter Outlook can be seen here.
