4 things to know about the weather:

1. Feeling more like spring and summer over the next 72 hours.
2. Monday and Tuesday will feature plenty of sunshine.
3. Almost humid and definitely warm with strong storms possible on Wednesday.
4. Rain with falling temperatures and windchill in the low 40s on Thursday.

Happy daylight saving! Today was this year’s first sunset after 7 p.m. — 7:08 p.m. to be exact.

For the rest of the evening, expect clear skies, although there could be an isolated shower, especially south and east of the D.C. area.

Monday will be a beautiful day with temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s with plenty of sunshine.

Tuesday will get to around 80°. That could break a record of 79° sit back in 2016. Expect sunshine and dry conditions

By Wednesday, there is a possibility for severe storms in the afternoon and evening, but temperatures will once again approach 80°. Heavy rain and winds are the main thing to watch out for.

A pretty strong cold front will push through the area Thursday morning. That will bring some steady moderate rain to our area on Thursday. Temperatures will only be in the 50s, but the average high temperature for this time of year is also in the 50s, so this is actually closer to normal.

Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.

QuickCast

SUNDAY NIGHT
Mostly clear skies
Temps: 60s and 50s

MONDAY
Sunny
HIGHS: Lower 70s

TUESDAY
Partly Sunny
HIGHS: Near 80°

WEDNESDAY
Afternoon and evening storms
HIGHS: Near 80°

THURSDAY
HIGHS: Near 50°

Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.

Four years ago, high school senior Aaron O’Brien wouldn’t believe he’d be studying chemistry now. Thanks to the Upward Bound program, that’s not hard to believe anymore.

“Before I came into the program, whew I don’t know who that man was,” O’Brien said.

Through free tutoring, test prep and college visits weekly, Upward Bound has helped millions of students like O’Brien, who attends McKinley Tech High School, pursue higher education.

The program is coordinated by colleges like George Washington University.

“The program has really expanded my vision for the future,” O’Brien said.

He joined Upward Bound as a freshman in high school.

“I never imagined I would be in these spaces and be able to network with so many different people,” he said.

“Upward Bound is basically a family,” said Layla Leiva, a senior at DC International School.

“A lot of us are first generation or low income. My parents do not know what the common app is, or standardized testing, and being able to have students that I can relate to meant the world for me,” she said.

Upward Bound falls under a series of federal TRIO programs funded by the Department of Education. Several programs in the series help veterans, students with disabilities, limited English and those facing foster care and homelessness.

Amid the Trump administration’s overhaul of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (D.E.I.), however, TRIO program funding was slashed because words related to the inclusionary policies were mentioned in its grant applications.

Last fall, a group that advocates for TRIO sued the Department for over $40 million in slashed grants.

Last June, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testified at a Senate budget hearing, saying that TRIO didn’t give her apartment enough oversight.

“I just think that we aren’t able to see the effectiveness across the board that we would normally look to see with our federal spending,” McMahon said at the hearing.

When funding froze, George Washington University paused most of its programing and cut nearly all its staff.

“It was a staff of just me, I was still working with my seniors,” said George Washington’s Upward Bound director, Darrell Thornton.

After growing up in a similar program, Thornton says he wanted to give back.

“I knew I wanted to be that educator that made a difference,” he said.

Earlier this year, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s cuts, restoring funding for the program.

“It kind of felt like I was cut off from my family for a little bit. When we got back, it was like thank God,” Kevin Williams, a junior at Ron Brown Preparatory College High School said.

The university was also able to bring its staff back.

“I’m so relieved to find out this program finally has funding and that this program will continue to support students in the way that it did for me,” Leiva said.

News4 reached out to the Department of Education, but have not heard back.

Regardless of their greatness on or off the ice, athletes are working on more than their physical well-being. They are also attempting to improve their mental health.

Dr. Kurt Ela, a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the outpatient programs at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, told WTOP that it is crucial to discuss mental health in all avenues, including sports, as the struggles remain and the consequences may be dire.

“I do think it’s a universal challenge,” Ela said. “Mental health can affect the young, it can affect the old, it can affect everyone.”

Ela, who also serves as the Washington Capitals’ therapist, will join a panel on athletes’ mental health following a special screening of “Shattered Ice” on Sunday, March 8, at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Northwest, D.C. The film centers on a teenage hockey player navigating life after his best friend and the team’s best player dies by suicide.

Films like “Shattered Ice” are important for spreading the message about mental health awareness, Ela said. However, its messaging can resonate better with younger audiences and connect on a personal level versus talking to a professional.

“There’s still a taboo around suicide and around mental illness,” he said. “A film like this really gets the word out that it’s not only OK to talk about mental health, but it’s crucial.”

‘They’re not alone’

Ela said the numbers show that the United States is dealing with “a mental health crisis.”

According to a 2023 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two in 10 high school students seriously contemplated suicide, while 40% had “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.”

“We’re talking big numbers,” Ela said. “Most of our youth are really struggling right now.”

Sports are slowly getting better at discussing mental health topics, Ela said. Multiple athletes, including basketball star Kyrie Irving, gymnast Simone Biles and figure skater Ilia Malinin, have spoken about their struggles in the spotlight of their respective fields.

Despite some advances, mental health struggles remain underreported overall, Ela said. One common thread among most people, including athletes, dealing with mental health problems is a reluctance to admit when they are struggling.

“They think that, ‘well, if I keep working hard, if I keep pushing through, if I keep winning or keep scoring goals,’ or whatever their sport is, that everything is going to be OK,” Ela said.

“They lose sight of the bigger picture that they’d actually play much better, they’d function much, much better if they were happier and really enjoying their sport and their lives.”

Other common signs some athletes display include being hard on themselves, withdrawing from teammates, being self-critical, not getting enough sleep and not eating enough.

“When that starts to happen, we start to worry that their mental health is really deteriorating, and they may not be doing very well from a wellness standpoint,” Ela said.

Practicing mindfulness strategies

Athletes with healthy mental states can recalibrate and focus on becoming the best athletes they can be, Ela said. That can be learned through mindfulness strategies that emphasize reflection and learning from each experience. That ability to reflect also allows them to focus on their sport and their relationships off the field.

“They do have emotions, of course, and they might be anxious before games, just like any of us, but they’re able to really put it in perspective,” Ela said. “They’re able to see the anxiety as probably excitement that they want to do well and that it’s motivating for them, as opposed to something that can hold them back.”

For adults dealing with young athletes, Ela recommended being patient and consistently asking how they are doing. Their demanding schedules, filled with practices and competitions, may not be as easy for them to handle. When someone is going through an injury, practicing mindfulness strategies and avoiding negative self-talk will keep the recovery process on track.

The key, Ela said, is to talk about it.

“I think a lot of people still feel that they want to white-knuckle through this, or that it’s going to get better magically on its own,” he said. “The truth of the matter is it can get better, and there is a lot of help available, but you have to work at it, and you have to find support when you need it, and that’s a good thing.”

The most important thing for anybody, not just athletes, to understand is that they are not alone when struggling with mental health. Ela said the hope is they have a trusted friend or someone they can depend on to talk to. If not, getting help from a professional or calling a crisis hotline are options if they don’t feel safe talking to anyone.

“Athletes struggle with mental health concerns. We all struggle with mental health concerns,” Ela said. “It’s important that people know that they’re not alone, and to know that there’s help available, that no one has to go through mental health challenges alone.”

If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

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