After being sent home by Penn in the second round of last year’s NCAA tournament, No. 3-seed Maryland women’s lacrosse knew it needed to bring in a firestarter on offense. That spark came in the form of the Quakers’ best attacker.
Maryland
Christmas forecast: Wintry mix, ice possible by Friday in DC, Maryland, Virginia
WASHINGTON – The holiday season is upon us! Christmas is just a few days away, and for the most part, it does look like the weather is going to cooperate over the holidays.
In fact, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day could be two of the warmer days of the year for our region, which is not saying much. Washington, D.C. is running more than six degrees below normal for the month so far, temperature-wise, our coldest December since 2010.
Some sunshine is expected for Christmas Eve with temperatures in D.C. expected to rise into the middle 50s with light winds. It should be one of the more comfortable afternoons of the month with sunny skies.
Clouds will increase during the evening hours, though some rain showers possible in the first half of Christmas Day. These should be scattered about though — the holiday does not look like a washout.
All things considered, not a bad Christmas! But no threat of a white Christmas either for those that were looking for some holiday snow.
It is the Friday after Christmas that bears watching! Cold air gets pushed southward into the Mid-Atlantic on Friday morning, courtesy of a high pressure system pushing through eastern Canada.
A steady northeast wind will “trap” this cold air southward, something that often happens in this region during the winter months due to our proximity to the Appalachian Mountains to the west.
By Friday afternoon, a fast moving storm system is expected to cross the region from west to east. As mid-level winds are out of the southwest, southern moisture will gather along a warm front, meeting the cold air stuck across the region and causing precipitation to break out.
While some initial snowflakes at onset are possible, especially in our northern zones, the depth of the cold air is forecast to be pretty shallow. So, the bulk of precipitation locally is forecast to fall as sleet and freezing rain.
Sleet is ice pellets, snow that has melted to rain, only to refreeze before hitting the ground. A slushy accumulation of sleet is enough to cause travel issues and slick spots. Freezing rain falls like rain, but freezes on contact with a surface where temperatures are below freezing.
Ice is a major concern to travelers. Such mixtures are difficult to pre-treat roadways for, as the more liquid nature of the precipitation can lead to runoff of any pre-treatment chemicals.
The question with shallow cold air events like this one is how long will the cold air hold on, and how fast will the region transition over to all just plain old rainfall, if they even do at all.
In similar past events, weather models tend to underplay how long cold air lingers in the D.C. region, leading to a longer than expected sleet and freezing rain event. This is particularly true in our northern zones, where cold air just naturally hangs on longer.
Winter advisories seem likely for parts of the region on Friday due to the threat for icing and hazardous travel conditions. Those traveling, especially Friday afternoon and evening, should exercise extreme caution.
Snowfall wise, the best chance of getting any snow would be at the very start of the event when the depth of the cold air is deepest. Some models do suggest there could be a quick burst of snow in our suburbs north of D.C. that could put down a quick coating before a transition over to a mixture of sleet and freezing rain.
For travelers, heavier snow looks more likely across the Northeast. Cities like New York and Boston could squeeze out a few inches of snow, while interior regions could see 4-8″ of snowfall, which is likely to disrupt travel on a regional basis.
After the system moves out of the region early on Saturday morning, the remainder of the weekend looks rather mild weather wise.
Impacts from the Friday system should not linger as temperatures rise well above freezing on Saturday with 50s possible by Sunday. Though a few showers are possible Sunday as well, it does not look overly impactful for travel.
The next blast of strong, cold winter air is set to move into the D.C. region just ahead of the New Year’s Holiday. Tuesday in particular looks especially cold, with high temperatures struggling to make it above freezing across much of the region.
At the moment, it does look like this next burst of cold will come without any winter weather threats, but it is far enough in the future that we need to monitor for potential forecast changes. We will keep you updated!
From all of us here on the FOX 5 Weather Team, happy holidays and Merry Christmas! Have a safe and wonderful holiday.
A D.C. man won $5 million from a scratch-off lottery ticket in Maryland last week, and the matching number that netted him the prize happened to be his age.
Talk about a birthday surprise! A D.C. man won $5 million from a scratch-off lottery ticket in Maryland last week, and the matching number that netted him the prize happened to be his age.
Maurice Williams, a school bus driver in D.C., claimed the first top prize on a $5,000,000 LUXE scratch-off. He had used his $50 winnings from a previous LUXE scratch-off ticket to buy a new one the next day.
In a release from the Maryland Lottery, Williams said he didn’t know he had won until he scanned the ticket: “It’s crazy because the matching number was 59 and I just turned 59 the other day.”
Williams said he sat in shock for a while before calling his mother.
He said he plans to buy his mother a house with the winnings and then save up.
Two more top prizes from the scratch-off have yet to be claimed, the Maryland Lottery said, as well as nine $200,000 prizes, 10 $50,000 prizes and thousands of prizes ranging from $50 to $10,000.
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Taxpayers are being told to expect delays getting their money back, with the Comptroller of Maryland warning paper returns could take up to 30 days due to budget constraints and staff reductions — a slowdown economists say could strain cash…
Maryland
No. 3-seed Maryland women’s lacrosse fends off Rutgers, 11-8, in NCAA Tournament second round
Penn transfer Keeley Block’s two late goals closed the door on Rutgers Sunday, capping her four-goal performance and driving the Terps into the very quarterfinal round she denied them from in 2025.
“I just really don’t think when I shoot,” Block said. “So maybe I just didn’t think a lot.”
In a Big Ten rematch, the Terps never relinquished their lead, advancing with an 11-8 win over the Scarlet Knights.
The first quarter mirrored Maryland’s regular-season contest against Rutgers as the Terps scored four goals in the first eight minutes of the contest. Lauren LaPointe notched the latter two goals within 28 seconds of each other, settling into her spot on the left elbow with ease.
Rutgers found a footing and netted its opening goal with six minutes to go in the opening frame, but the Terps’ response came just 37 seconds later. LaPointe spotted a cutting Block deep in the fan and shuttled a high pass for Block to immediately jam into the back of the net.
LaPointe capped her dominant opening frame by finding another cutter in Maisy Clevinger with seconds remaining. Clevinger buried her ninth goal of the season to give the Terps a five-goal advantage.
“As we move forward in this tournament, the good thing about having a balanced offense is you really need everybody to step up for us to be successful,” head coach Cathy Reese said. “Everybody needs to do their part.”
A massive component of Maryland’s early dominance was the performance of Kayla Gilmore. The sophomore helped the Terps take the first eight draw controls of the contest, avenging her 19-12 defeat in the circle the last time these teams played.
After the Terps eventually lost a draw — over 20 minutes into the contest — the scoring began to even out. Rutgers’ Hilary Elsner and Caroline Ling sandwiched a Kori Edmondson free position goal, and Alex Popham hit a low-angle snipe with four minutes left in the half to cut the Maryland lead to three.
After a brief lull, Clevinger scored again with just 73 seconds left in the first half. Jordyn Lipkin’s assist on the score marked her second of the contest, as Maryland notched seven first half set-ups. Three different Terps had multiple assists Sunday.
But the Scarlet Knights grabbed assists of their own, scoring off indirect free positions from the left elbow three times in the second frame. The last of those scores came from Kate Theofield, who stunned JJ Suriano with just seven seconds before the halftime horn sounded. The Terps’ netminder was far more active in the second quarter, facing eight more shots than she did in the first and conceding on four of them.
While Maryland’s offense perfectly replicated its first half from its last meeting against Rutgers, its defense suffered from occasional mental lapses. Six first-half fouls from the Terps gave the Scarlet Knights easy opportunities, and Suriano looked particularly vulnerable against shots from the wing.
Maryland’s defense continued to struggle after the break despite four Suriano saves in the first eight minutes of the second half. The Terps let up another easy goal to Ling before Edmondson and Popham traded scores.
At the close of the period, Maryland finally pieced together another run through the stick of Block. She blasted off the line on an 8-meter chance, finding nylon for her eighth hat trick of the year. Then, after committing a yellow card infraction early in the fourth quarter, Block stormed back onto the field and scored almost immediately.
That goal proved to be the dagger, securing the Terps’ return to the quarterfinals. Despite scoring just three goals in the final 30 minutes — none of which were assisted — Maryland’s defense found the stops it needed to keep the season alive.
1. Suriano’s presence. After a dominant performance in Maryland’s narrow Big Ten championship loss, the junior maintained her form Sunday. Suriano’s 10 saves and 55.6% save percentage demonstrated a reliable presence for the Terps between the posts,, what Reese described as “JJ doing JJ things.”
“I think high pressure situations are more fun,” Suriano said “And I find the joy in being out there with my teammates, doing what I love.”
2. The ground ball battle. It has been a rare sight in 2026 to see Maryland outdo its opponent in ground balls. But against Rutgers, the Terps dominated, corralling 15 of the 25 total ground balls, with Suriano and Kristen Shanahan combining for seven.
3. Painting the frame. With a respectable 24 total shots, Maryland needed to be highly accurate to maintain its advantage. The Terps succeeded, shooting 87.5% of their shots on goal and completely overwhelming Scarlet Knight goalkeeper Stella Quilty.
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