Baltimore residents should brace for a significant winter storm. The National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC has issued warnings predicting wintry conditions until Monday. According to the forecast, the week will usher below-normal temperatures as a strong Arctic high-pressure system approaches.
Today began with sunshine, thanks to high pressure south of Baltimore. However, the forthcoming winter storm, currently near Oklahoma, with another low near the Canadian Maritimes, will increase winds and cloud cover throughout the day, anticipating snow after 3 PM in the southwest areas and more widely after 6 PM. Despite the gusty west winds decreasing from previous days, they will persist, with temperatures hovering in the 30s and dipping to the upper teens/20s in higher elevations. All Winter Storm Watches have been upgraded to Warnings, with snow accumulations expected to be at or above 5 inches.
These conditions are set to affect travel, with heavy snow expected late tonight into Monday morning, where the heaviest bands set up — possibly at a rate of 1-2 inches per hour. The National Weather Service warns that the snow will lessen late Monday morning, but a "secondary burst" may occur Monday night as the upper-level low moves overhead. There is still a split in guidance regarding the system's track, with American models suggesting a northern trajectory and international models predicting a mostly southern impact. This discrepancy leads to differing snowfall expectations, with regions north of I-66 possibly seeing less accumulation and areas further south in central Virginia and southern Maryland expecting potentially even closing in on a foot of snow.
Post-storm, weak high pressure will keep most areas dry mid-week, with temperatures dropping to their coldest on Wednesday and Thursday. However, travel may remain challenging if a coastal low develops late Friday into Saturday, potentially leading to further wintry conditions. Aviation conditions will remain VFR through today but will deteriorate with the arrival of the wintry precipitation this evening, dropping to IFR "fairly quickly." Small Craft Advisories are in effect for the waters as winds may reach gale force Monday night into Tuesday. Blowout tides affecting the Chesapeake Bay and the Tidal Potomac River are expected to ease after today with diminishing northwesterly winds.
