Snow and sleet could reach 3 to 5 inches
The Winter Storm Warning posted for communities north and west of Baltimore (purple on the map)today says those areas could see 3 to 5 inches of snow and sleet before the air warms tonight and tomorrow and turns the stuff to rain. They may even get a quarter-inch of ice on top of the whole mess.
Here's how it reads:
"A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE WILL BRING SNOW TO THE AREA TODAY...WITH
ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES. AFTER A BRIEF LULL IN THE SNOW
THIS AFTERNOON...A SECOND STRONGER WAVE WILL BRING A WINTRY MIX OF
PRECIPITATION TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. PRECIPITATION WILL BE MAINLY
IN THE FORM OF SNOW AND SLEET THIS EVENING...BUT A CHANGE OVER TO
FREEZING RAIN IS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT AS WARMER AIR IS DRAWN INTO THE
SYSTEM. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN IN THE LOWER 30S WEDNESDAY...
ALLOWING FOR THE RAIN TO FREEZE ON SOME SURFACES.
"TOTAL SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT WILL BE 3
TO 5 INCHES AND TOTAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS FOR TUESDAY NIGHT AND
WEDNESDAY WILL BE AROUND A QUARTER OF AN INCH."
Things are not a whole lot prettier for communities south and east of the city (dark blue), where a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect. Here's the meat of it:
"A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE WILL BRING SNOW TO THE AREA TODAY...WITH
ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES. A SECOND STRONGER WAVE WILL BRING
A WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. PRECIPITATION
WILL BE MAINLY IN THE FORM OF SNOW AND SLEET THIS EVENING...BUT A
CHANGE OVER TO FREEZING RAIN AND RAIN IS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT AS
WARMER AIR IS DRAWN INTO THE SYSTEM. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN IN
THE LOWER 30S WEDNESDAY ALLOWING FOR THE RAIN TO FREEZE ON SOME
SURFACES.
"TOTAL SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT WILL BE 2
TO 4 INCHES AND TOTAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS FOR TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH
WEDNESDAY MORNING WILL BE ONE TO TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH."
Here's the regional radar loop. All things considered, if this forecast holds up, I'd guess that today's snow closings may be extended another day, at least in the northern and western suburbs, primarily because of the ice forecast.
Comments
IT'S A BLIZZARD! IT'S A BLIZZARD! [Frantically runs around in circles.] AND I'VE NO BREAD OR TOILET PAPER!! [Keels over.]
Posted by: Todd | January 27, 2009 9:50 AM
Frank,
This is not an insult, but an honest suggestion. I think your color vision is a bit off, because the area you say is purple sure looks pink to me, and where you say it's "dark blue" it sure looks purple to me.
I know my color vision is good. Trust me, my wife would let me know if it were not... ;-)
Thanks for the update. Unfortunately I commute from a pink (purple) county into a purple (dark blue) county. That should be interesting...
FR: Mmmm. My dad was color blind. It kept him out of the Army for a time until things started going badly enough that they were compelled to lwoer their standards. Maybe I have a touch of it myself. Or maybe it's my monitor.
Posted by: Sam | January 27, 2009 9:59 AM
Todd: I know. I cut my driving teeth in NH, Syracuse and MA. This is not even on the radar for us. But be nice. This is Baltimore, after all. And if we get 5 inches, it will be the biggest storm in almost three years.
Posted by: Frank Roylance | January 27, 2009 9:59 AM
Well, thank goodness we're getting some snow - after living in Chicago for 37 years I was starting to despair. I still haven't figured out what "ice pellets" are, though. That's not something that I ever heard of in the midwest. What is that - icy sleet? Hail?
FR: Ice pellets are sleet. Snowflakes fall through a layer of above-freezing air, and melt into water droplets. Then they enter another sub-freezing layer and re-freeze before reaching the surface. The spherical pellets often bounce when they land.
Posted by: Amy | January 27, 2009 10:15 AM
Any idea just how bad tomorrow's morning commute will be?
PS this isn't "my" blizzard. I want the 3 to 4 feet things.
FR: Can't say for sure, but the forecast isn't pretty. They're calling for snow, sleet and freezing rain overnight, with the cold air - and ice - holding on longest north and west of the city. Highway crews are working the salters hard. This morning's commute was slow, but surprisingly uneventful (except for the blast of salt from that truck I passed). Maybe they can keep the main roads just wet at these temperatures. But then, this is Baltimore. We tend to freak out in this kind of weather.
Posted by: patty | January 27, 2009 10:49 AM
On that map areas north and west of the city are PINK and areas south and east are PURPLE.
Posted by: dave | January 27, 2009 1:16 PM
come on summer
Posted by: emjay | January 27, 2009 1:37 PM
North and West of the city are MAGENTA. South and East are AMETHYST. I couldn't agree more with NOAA on the subject of this color scheme since nothing says "white, flaky snow" like a vibrant magenta.
Seriously, Frank - thanks for the updates :)
Posted by: Todd (not the same as the first guy) | January 27, 2009 2:35 PM
The color on your monitor will change depending on the Browser you are using to view the website (Explorer vs. Firefox, for instance.)
FR: Or age, maybe? (MIne or the monitor's...)
Posted by: Ellen | January 27, 2009 2:52 PM
I always think its interesting how people from the North think they are better then those from here. Oh I lived in Mass and this is nothing up there. Well, take your Redsox loving rearend back to Mass if its so great......
FR: Nah. After 29 years, I like it better here. People up there can't take the Chesapeake heat and humidity. Weenies.
Posted by: Jon | January 27, 2009 6:01 PM