Enjoy all this sunshine today (Tuesday) because the rainy weather we've come to know and love this fall will move back into the region after lunchtime on Wednesday, as a Gulf storm moves inland and rides north and east along the west side of the Appalachians.

Then, if you wear your jammies inside-out, and put a spoon under your pillow, we might - just maybe - see snowflakes sometime on Saturday - the 5th. If we get at least a trace, it would be the sixth time in eight years Baltimore (BWI) has seen snow on Dec. 5th. More on that shortly.

First, we can bask in the late-autumn sunshine as high pressure moves across the region today before moving offshore tonight. Temperatures will reach the low 50s, which is about average for this time of year in Baltimore.

But as the Gulf low moves closer, clouds will begin to increase, and the rain could begin sometime after lunch on Wednesday, forecasters say. The low will pump plenty of mild air and Gulf moisture into the region on south winds, with up to an inch of new rain possible late Wednesday into Thursday. That will come on top of the 1.8-inch surplus from November in a very wet year.

Colder, drier air moving into the region once the storm rolls into upstate New York will bring upslope snow to the western counties on Thursday. Temperatures here will drop from the 60s to the lower 50s on Thursday. Forecasters say it will be cold enough Friday for all-day snow showers in the high elevations of the Alleghenies.

Then, on Saturday, another coastal low is forecast to develop off Hatteras. "Banded precipitation, certainly cold enough for snow, could expand into our [forecast] area," forecasters said Tuesday morning. "Timing and position uncertainty with this low still fairly high ... Slight chance for snow for the Balto-DC metro areas and west with chance for rain/snow for southern Maryland for Saturday ... Struggling to reach 40 [degrees] F for areas east of the Blue Ridge."  

For now, the official forecast calls for a "chance of showers" and a high of 42 at BWI. Here's AccuWeather.com's take on the prospects for Saturday.

UPDATE: Here's more from the NWS afternoon discussion:

"NEWEST GUIDANCE RETREATING A BIT FROM
EARLIER RUNS THAT HAD MORE OF A WINTRY SYSTEM FOR MID ATLANTIC ON
SAT/SUN. TRENDS NOW SHOW A WEAKLY FORCED AND REGIONAL-SCALE AREA OF
LIGHT PRECIP SPREADING OVER THE MID ATLANTIC AS THE SURFACE LOW SPINS WELL
OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST SAT INTO SUN. FOR NOW A LOW CHANCE EVENT W/ A MIX
OF RAIN/SNOW FOR LATE SAT /MAINLY RAIN DURING THE DAYTIME HOURS AS
TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TO TOP-OUT IN THE UPPER 30S-LOW 40S."

(SUN PHOTO/Amy Davis/Dec. 6, 2005)