Snow in the air Weds., none under foot
The forecast hasn't changed much, so there still seems to be little chance that tomorrow's precipitation will bring anything more than a few morning flakes, followed by two days of cold drizzle and showers.
Today's sunshine will fade as the high pressure drifts off shore, and the storm system that pounded California moves closer out of the west. The center of the storm will pass to our north and west, this time, which leaves us on the warm and rainy side of the picture. And with warmer air moving up from the South behind the departing high and in advance of a cold front, tonight's forecast low is just 31 degrees.
That leaves open the possibility that the precipitation will begin as snow. But sadly, at least for this winter's forlorn snow lovers, forecasters at Sterling say it will not stick. And by mid-morning temperatures will be rising, and it will be changing over to all rain. Here's AccuWeather.com on the dismal forecast.
Once the cold front behind the storm gets through, some western counties could see a brief changeover to snow. But not down here in the lowlands.
Next on the agenda after a sunnier day on Friday is a clipper system out of the northwest on Saturday. Forecasters are calling for a rain/snow mix. But they don't seem any too sure, even about that.
In the meantime, here is Foot's Forecast on the chances for school openings to be affected tomorrow. (Don't hold your breath, kids.) On the other hand, he points out that it's probably too soon to give up on the season.
Consider this: Five of the 20 biggest snowstorms in Baltimore have occurred in March, but the most recent of them was way back in 1993. Remember the March 1993 "Superstorm?"
Top 20 Snowstorms in Baltimore: (1891-2006)
| 1 | 28.2 inches ... Feb. 15-18, 2003 | 11 | 14.1 inches ... Dec. 11-12, 1960 |
| 2 | 26.5 inches ... Jan. 27-29, 1922 | 12 | 13.1 inches ... Feb. 11-12, 2006 |
| 3 | 22.8 inches ... Feb. 11, 1983 | 13 | 13.0 inches ... Mar. 5-7, 1962 |
| 4 | 22.5 inches ... Jan. 7-8, 1996 | 14 | 12.3 inches ... Jan. 22, 1987 |
| 5 | 22.0 inches ... Mar. 29-30, 1942 | 15 | 12.1 inches ... Jan. 30-31, 1966 |
| 6 | 21.4 inches ... Feb. 11-14, 1899 | 16 | 12.0 inches ... Feb. 16-18, 1900 |
| 7 | 20.0 inches ... Feb. 18-19, 1979 | 17 | 11.9 inches ... Mar. 13-14, 1993 |
| 8 | 16.0 inches ... Mar. 15-18, 1892 | 18 | 11.7 inches ... Feb. 5-8, 1899 |
| 9 | 15.5 inches ... Feb. 15, 1958 | 19 | 11.5 inches ... Dec. 17-18, 1932 |
| 10 | 14.9 inches ... Jan. 25, 2000 | 20 | 11.5 inches ... Mar. 21-22, 1964 |
Big snows in March seem to be becoming a thing of the past. Here's a list of monthly snow totals for Baltimore. (Now that I've said that, of course, we're in for a whopper!)
Comments
Yes, I remember the March 1993 'superstorm', but I think it delivered more than just 11.9 inches as the list says.
When such a list says 'in Baltimore', is there an exact location for its reference? Downtown, at Baltimore and Charles Streets (center of the address system)? The Customs House? The airport? I think I remember reading two or three years ago that BWI has replaced downtown as the official 'Baltimore' location for recording temperatures. True?
FR:The airport became the official station for Baltimore in 1950. So any references to records before that date are from downtown measurements; anything after is from the airport. What you're recalling is another change, back in 1998, when the weather service moved its (unofficial) downtown station from the (very hot) roof of the Customs House to a grassy knoll beside the Science Center.
The Superstorm in 1993 dropped 1.5 to 2.5 feet of snow in western Maryland, but it was rain on the Eastern Shore. BWI got almost 12 inches of snow, but the northern and western suburbs saw more. Frederick got 18 inches. The storm was "super" because it was vast, affecting everybody from Alabama to New England. Its central pressure rivaled intense hurricanes, dropping to 28.51 inches of mercury in Baltimore as it passed by. That was the lowest ever recorded here.
Posted by: Thomber Hugoharris | February 17, 2009 4:20 PM