Baltimore residents, layer up and stay vigilant: Wednesday night through Thursday could become icy dicey, according to the latest National Weather Service (NWS) forecast. The forecast, updated in the wee hours of Wednesday, advises that a high-pressure system briefly gracing us from the north will soon give way to an oncoming low-pressure area from the west, leading to a mix of wintry precipitation.
Tonight's scenario is set, layers of high and mid clouds thickening, streaming in from the Ohio Valley as the anticipated wintry mix lurks in the forecast, bringing potential disruptions road-wise. Daily commuting is looking challenging, with experts throwing in some isolated snow flurries into the mix—though with dry air holding court aloft, any snowflakes face a tough journey to the surface; cold temperatures are predicted to support a 'wet-bulbing' effect that should drop temps around or below the freezing mark causing today's highs to hang in the mid to upper 30s with the mountains getting the chillier end, upper 20s to near freezing, says the National Weather Service bulletin.
Visibility and traction could suffer overnight as a smorgasbord of sleet and freezing rain work together to create hazardous conditions into Thursday morning. Those east and southeast winds you feel are likely not your friend right now. They're not helping with cold advection. Inarm nose aloft might turn some of that would-be snow into freezing rain after midnight.
The local area is bracing for an icy reception with Ice Storm Warnings planted in eastern West Virginia, western and central Maryland, and, yes, the mountains where at least a quarter inch of ice is expected to accumulate; transitions to rain might show up post-lunch on Thursday before drying out into the evening – however, keep in mind the region faces a stubborn cold air damming (CAD) that could keep temperatures cooler than expected, the weather saga continues as another cold front slide in overnight Thursday, setting the stage for gusty winds especially along the Alleghenies registering up to 45 mph, though Friday is looking slightly more forgiving with sunny skies to start and another system waiting in the wings promising more mixed wintry precipitation fun, as per NWS guidance.
Meanwhile, BWI airport and mariners on the Chesapeake should anticipate possible traffic snarls and sailing woes as VFR conditions are anticipated to slump to IFR with the incoming storm. Mariners note that those northerly winds are set to swing easterly ahead of another round of wintry mix late this week, with Small Craft Advisories potentially in the offing, so keep an ear to the ground and an eye to the sky.
