And so it begins. The National Weather Service's forecast office in Sterling has uttered its first mention of snow for this season. It's not enough to worry anyone in Maryland, but there it is. Parts of West Virginia have been told to expect accumulations up to an inch or two.

This morning's discussion from Sterling notes there is a cold front pressing south across the region today. That will bring us winds out of the northwest, gusting as high as 28 mph by tomorrow, with cloud cover keeping temperatures in the 50s.

After a secondary cold front reinforces the cooler air tonight, locations west of the Allegheny Mountains will be cold enough for some lake-effect snow to blow down from the north. "Less than an inch of accumulation is possible," the forecasters said. It's the first wintry cold-air outbreak of the season for points north of us. You can see the lake effect at work in this radar loop. 

My mother-in-law will not be pleased. She lives in Erie, Pa., and dreads winter. And if Mama ain't happy ...

Tuesday night could produce snow showers in the higher elevations to our west. "Given forecast strong northwest flow, would not be surprised if some precipitation made it east of the Blue Ridge Mountains late on Tuesday night and early Wednesday," the forecasters said. "If precipitation were to make it that far east, a few wet snow flakes could not be ruled out. For the mountains [we are] anticipating that a snow advisory will be required on Tuesday."

Here are some recent first-snow dates at BWI Marshall:

2007:  Nov. 9  Trace

2006:  Dec. 5  Trace

2005:  Nov. 23  0.5 inch

2004:  Dec. 13  Trace

2003:  Dec. 4  Trace (followed by 6.8 inches on Dec. 5-6)

High pressure returns after Wednesday, and by Halloween (Friday) we should be looking at sunny skies again, with highs in the mid-60s - the best day of the week, in case you expect to be out with the kids, or are looking for a promising mental health day. Here's the forecast.

The weekend looks cool and sunny.