Winter storm watch returns

Forecast warns of 5 inches of snow, 1/4 inch of ice through the day Wednesday

A winter storm watch is in effect across Central Maryland, warning of chances for 5 inches of wet, heavy snow and as much as a quarter of an inch of ice in some areas Wednesday.

The National Weather Service said there is potential for “significant snowfall,” though warmer air moving in overhead sometime Wednesday afternoon or evening is expected to turn precipitation to sleet and freezing rain.

Still, forecasters said to “expect an impactful winter storm” to arrive around Baltimore by Wednesday morning.

The weather service predicts a widespread 4 to 6 inches of snow across most of the Baltimore metro region by Wednesday evening, and as much as 8 inches to the northwest in Carroll, Montgomery and Frederick counties.

They said there is a10 percent chance the storm could produce as little as 2 inches of snow, and also a 10 percent chance of as much as 7 inches in the Baltimore area.

Ice accumulation approaching twotenths of an inch is forecast in the afternoon and evening west of Interstate 95, especially across higher elevations of Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties. A glaze of ice is possible along the Interstate 95 corridor.

Temperatures are forecast in the lower 30s, at or below freezing, from Tuesday night through Wednesday. Then they could creep into the mid-30s by Thursday morning.

The weather service is calling for a “moderate-impact” winter storm along the Piedmont — including western Howard, Carroll, northern Baltimore and northern Harford counties — and an “enhanced” winter storm threat along the I-95 corridor and to the south and east.

Foot’s Forecast predicts a 60 percent chance of yet another slick and slushy snow-to-ice mess, a 20 percent chance of a “Big Kahuna” major snowfall across the region, with up to 10 inches north of Interstate 70.

The forecasting website also said there is a 20 percent chance that overnight snow will turn to cold rain some time in the morning hours Wednesday, allowing for only minimal snow and ice accumulations.

Winter storm watches and warnings were posted Monday from the mountains of western North Carolina through parts of West Virginia and western Virginia and into Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Flash flood watches were meanwhile issued across the lower Mississippi and Ohio valleys.

AccuWeather.com forecasters said as many as 200 million Americans could see ice or snow today or Wednesday, from the southern Plains states to the Great Lakes states to New England.

Ahead of the storm, dry, cloudy and breezy conditions and mild temperatures were observed Monday in the Baltimore region.

Highs reached 48 degrees at Baltimore/ Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Sunny conditions and colder weather are forecast today.

Highs are forecast in the upper 30s, with lows in the upper 20s.