Flights resumed after being halted at four Washington, D.C., area airports Friday evening over a chemical odor at a radar facility that was affecting air traffic controllers, officials said.

Ground stops were issued at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport; Washington Dulles International Airport; Baltimore-Washington International Airport; and Richmond International Airport shortly after 6:30 p.m., according to transportation authorities.

The ground stops were lifted by around 8 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration’s website said, but airports warned there could be residual delays Friday night.

The “strong chemical smell” was reported at the Potomac TRACON, which stands for Terminal Radar Approach Control, and was “impacting some air traffic controllers,” the FAA said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X that the FAA was was working to address the source of the odor.

“Airlines are once again resuming regular operations and preparing departures. Expect residual delays this evening,” Baltimore-Washington International Airport announced on X at 8 p.m.

The Potomac TRACON building that experienced the trouble is in Northern Virginia, it said.

4 things to know about the weather:

1. More Strong Winds Friday
2. Saturday Looks Good
3. Rainy Sunday Night, Monday
4. Temperature Plunge Tuesday

How wild was Thursday’s weather? Most of the area had a 45° drop from mid-70s highs before dawn to 30° lows after sunset.

In addition to that, it snowed from mid-morning into mid-afternoon with up to 1 inch in spots before the sun came back out and melted it all away. When melted down, it was about a half-inch of much-needed rainfall.

Dry and windy for much of the weekend

Dry weather returns Friday and lasts until Sunday evening, but our break from the gusty winds only lasts from Saturday afternoon into Sunday noontime.

Strong southwest winds Friday could gust over 40 mph at times. We’ll be in and out of the cloud cover with highs near average. The wind will turn to the northwest overnight and still be near 15-20 mph Saturday morning.

Saturday comes with more sunshine and less wind in the afternoon, with highs in the low to mid-50s.

Ahead of a strong storm that will have a high impact on our area on Monday, winds will increase from the southeast on Sunday afternoon. Most areas will be near 60° on Sunday, but with very little sunshine and rain chances arriving after sunset.

Storm expected on Monday

Monday looks quite stormy — springtime stormy! Highs will be near 70° and thunderstorms could strike in the afternoon. Up to an inch or more of rain is possible before another powerhouse cold front arrives Monday night.

Temperatures will fall nearly 40° once again: from 70° Monday afternoon to near or below freezing on Tuesday morning. There will be a chance for that rain to end as wet snow and, coming at night, there might be a chance to whiten the grass.

Highs next Tuesday & Wednesday will only be in the 35-40° range. Temperatures will return to average after that.

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

QuickCast

TODAY:
Sunny & Cloudy Periods
Windy, Gusts Over 40 mph
Near Average Temperatures
Wind: Southwest 20-30 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 48° to 56°

TONIGHT:
Clearing Skies
Breeze Stays Up All Night
Chilly
Wind: Southwest 12-24 mph
Chance Of Rain: 0%
LOWS: 36° to 44°

SATURDAY:
Sunny Morning
More Clouds After Noon
Breezy At Times
Wind: Northwest/ 10-20 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 48° to 56°

SUNDAY:
Mostly Cloudy, A Bit Milder
Breezy By The Afternoon
Few Showers After Sunset
Wind: Southeast 15-25 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 52° to 60°

MONDAY:
Rainy, Windy And Mild
Scattered Thunderstorms
Rainfall Up To 1”
Wind: South 20-35 mph
Chance of Rain: 80%
HIGHS: 65° to 70°

Sunrise: 7:22       Sunset: 7:13
Average High: 55°  Average Low: 38°

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.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Officials with the Alaska National Guard said plans to deploy a trained rapid response force this month to support federal authorities in Washington D.C. has been pushed back to May, according to Corinne Smith with the Alaska Beacon.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy in November approved the U.S. Secretary of the Army’s request for 100 service members to deploy to the nation’s capital as part of a joint federal task force this month. The effort is part of a national directive by the Pentagon to all 50 states to prepare National Guard service members to train for “civil disturbance operations.”

By email on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Alaska National Guard said the timeline has been extended.

“The Alaska National Guard remains in contact with the Pentagon, through the National Guard Bureau, and continues to move through the established processes to support Joint Task Force-District of Columbia,” said Dana Rosso, a public affairs officer with the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which houses the Army and Air National Guard divisions.

“The current activation timeline has been refined to May 2026,” he wrote.

As of January, there were roughly 2,700 National Guard members stationed in Washington D.C., which the Trump administration has said is to help drive down crime. Service members are expected to be stationed there through the end of the year. On Tuesday, an additional District of Columbia Army National Guard brigade was activated “to coordinate military support to civil authorities and protect critical infrastructure in the nation’s capital.”

A spokesperson for Dunleavy’s office declined to comment on the extended timeline on Wednesday.

At the time the request was announced, Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, Adjutant General of the Alaska National Guard and Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said in a letter to lawmakers that 100 service members were in training for the mission to be “aligned with nation-level requirements.”

“The team will consist of Alaska Army and Air National Guard personnel trained in mission sets that may include site security, roadblocks and checkpoints, civil disturbance control, critical infrastructure protection, and personnel security,” Saxe wrote.

But the process for how the deployment was formally requested and approved has raised questions from lawmakers.

Rosso said by email Thursday the request was made by phone call.

“The request for activation of the Alaska National Guard to support Joint Task Force – DC came via phone call to Governor Mike Dunleavy from the Secretary of the Army following the President’s Executive Orders from August 2025,” he wrote.

Dunleavy’s office could not find a written copy of the U.S. Secretary of Defense that requested the deployment, a spokesperson for the governor’s office said Wednesday.

Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage and co-chair of the Joint Armed Services Committee, is a veteran of the Alaska National Guard and was among lawmakers that raised concerns in November when the announcement was made. He questioned the legality of the directive in an interview on Wednesday.

“Until they get something in writing, then there’s no actual deployment to prepare for,” Gray said.

“I think it’s a big misuse of the American taxpayer dollar to fly any soldiers from Alaska to D.C. for what we know is a trash pickup mission in many ways, and it’s a waste,” he added. “It’s just a waste of taxpayer dollars. So I hope that it continues to get pushed off indefinitely and that it never happens.”

Editor’s note: This story was republished with permission from the Alaska Beacon.

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