Keep an eye on the roads this afternoon. As this Alberta Clipper approaches from the west, forecasters say, we should expect snow to begin in the western suburbs of Baltimore and Washington by noon, with snow reaching the urban corridor between 1 and 3 p.m.

Only in this winter of skimpy snow would we pay so much attention to this storm. But here we are, reduced to writing about 1 to 2 inches of snow. There will also be more wintry weather Thursday night into Friday. More on that in a moment.

The National Weather Service has posted a "Snow Advisory" for the almost the entire state west of the Chesapeake Bay, effective from 11 a.m. through 10 p.m. That means periods of snow will put a thin frosting on the roads and limit visibilities. Northern and western regions can expect the most snow. Salt crews are sure to be busy out there. The weather folks are urging caution while driving this afternoon. But then, shouldn't we ALWAYS be cautious while driving two-ton machines at 60 mph?

The impending storm is cranking up over southern West Virginia, and light snow has already moved into Frostburg. Our blue skies early this morning have changed over to a solid overcast. It's cold, and it feels like snow.

We could start to see flurries by lunchtime, but the real snow may not get cranking until early afternoon. By rush hour, it should be well underway. And with temperatures trending lower than earlier forecast, we will likely see all snow. I expect we will see some early exits from downtown this PM. Here's the radar loop. And a satellite shot.

The low will move offshore this evening, and skies should begin to clear. The NWS calls for clearing by "around midnight," which would be too late for those of us hoping to see at least part of tonight's total eclipse of the moon. With luck, maybe this thing will pick up speed and get out of here by 10. That would work out fine, since the period of totality starts at 10, and runs through 10:52 p.m. I'd be happy seeing half of that, and then the moon's slow return to full illumination by midnight.

Whatever sunshine we see Thursday morning will not last. By nightfall we'll be looking for more precipitation. The second storm of the week comes to us from the Texas Gulf Coast. It will track our way and collide with the cold, arctic air we're experiencing now.

Some of the computer models suggest the cold air will persist, giving us a longer period of snow. Others say we can expect a changeover to rain by Friday morning. Forecasters are hedging their bets for now, predicting snow and sleet for Thursday night, followed by freezing rain and sleet for Friday and Friday night. A good old Wintry Mix. AccuWeather is already out with a snow forecast map (left).

Looking deeper into the crystal ball, the author of this morning's forecast discussion from Sterling mentions "yet another storm" that computer models show forming in the Rockies reaching us by Monday night or Tuesday. Nobody is predicting accumulations on that one yet.