Had enough yet? More snow on the way
Snow-weary Marylanders will not be able to put away their shovels and gloves just yet. There’s more wintry weather on the horizon. The National Weather Service is watching a pair of “clipper”-type storms that are expected to pass through Central Maryland in the next two days. And a more worrisome storm is due early next week.
Neither clipper will pack much moisture, so neither should drop more than an inch or so, forecasters said. And many of us may see little or nothing. Here's the forecast map for the first one.
The first is due after 9 a.m. Friday, with less than a half-inch of new accumulation likely. Snow chances were set at 40 percent. Most likely to be affected are communities on the western slopes of the Appalachians, and along the Mason-Dixon Line, forecasters said. 
Snow showers are possible Friday evening, followed by the next little clipper system, Saturday morning. The same areas – the mountains and the state’s northern border — are most likely to see the flakes.
Of more concern to meteorologists is a more potent system the computers predict will menace the region by mid-week. AccuWeather.com is already calling it the Groundhog Day Storm. For the moment, Sterling is setting the snow chances for that one at 30 percent, starting Monday night and continuing into Wednesday.
The models agree it will be a “significant” winter storm. But, five days out, they disagree on its path. A track to our south would bring us more snow. A track up the Ohio Valley would place us on the “warm” side of the circulation, leaving us with a decidedly cold menu of snow, sleet, freezing rain and plain rain.
Comments
Great. Let's just hope this one isn't during the middle of rush hour.
FR: Or, if it is, that people heed the warnings and get out of Dodge early.
Posted by: Eric | January 27, 2011 3:23 PM
Snow-weary Marylanders? Maybe after *last* winter, but this was certainly small beans compared to that. Bring on the snow-days and the hot-chocolate!
Posted by: Kirstie | January 27, 2011 4:01 PM
Hi Frank, I just found your blog and find it to be very informative. I also want to invite you to check out ChaserTV.com. It's a website in which individuals can stream weather events online. Recently, we had someone stream video of snow live. I thought you might be interested in checking it out. Thanks.
Posted by: David Moran | January 27, 2011 4:18 PM
Might as well make it a four day weekend!
Posted by: Michelle Brown | January 27, 2011 7:08 PM
Snow weary New Yorkers maybe -- it's been a year of disappointment here. Bring on the snow!
Posted by: Jason | January 28, 2011 8:36 AM
Really? Oh no, not snow.
Last night people interviewed on the FOX affiliates from both Baltimore and D.C. used phrases like "incredible storm" and "I thought I was going to die..."
We got 80+ inches last year, people!!! This was 6-10" in most of the region, hardly a blip on the radar compared to last year's mega-storms.
Yes, it was terrible what happened on the JFX -- that is not in dispute -- nor is the way Metro transit bus drivers in DC kicked customers off buses, but c'mon, Maryland.
Toughen up, already. In the Great Lakes they call this "winter", not DeathStorm 2011.
Posted by: T.C. Cameron | January 28, 2011 8:39 AM
YAYYYY!!! 4-day weekend.
I hope the next storm comes Tuesday into Wednesday because that would work perfectly for me!
Posted by: Michelle Brown | January 28, 2011 8:41 AM
Wunderground also puts us at a 30% chance for snow ALL FLIPPING DAY on the 2nd.
Posted by: mike | January 28, 2011 8:54 AM
@T.C. Cameron -- I;'m getting sick of people comparing the crap we got to "snow" we got sleet, freezing rain etc with snow on top of it. this is NOTHING like the all snow events the north gets... Stop comparing the two. Driving on snow = easy, driving on ice = the mess we had Wednesday. Unless you have chains or "studs" which is very uncommon you don't drive on ice you slide which is what most people did.
Posted by: bob | January 28, 2011 10:09 AM
So...you're telling us that the ga-jillion dollar super-mega world's greatest Doppler radar that we have to hear about during every commercial break on Channels 2, 11, 13, and 45 ("we have the best Doppler in the area...in HD!!") are worthless?
Posted by: Aaron | January 28, 2011 10:14 AM
I am sick of it - and it looks like with the temps over the next week or so we will not only see very little melting of our current snow but the next one will hang around for a while too. I want SPRING!
Posted by: Gina | January 28, 2011 10:35 AM
Hopefully it won't happen again while a tractor trailer driver is anxiously trying to make his schedule and jacknives on the Beltway. Anyone considered filing a class action suit against the trucking company yet?
Posted by: Zaphod | January 28, 2011 10:56 AM
I actually enjoyed this snow. There was an express lane on 695 outer loop south side just for me! People were avoiding driving in the left lane in favor of being single-file in the right or center lane. There were several inches of crap in the left lane, but it was no problem. I'm quite thankful that the people with inadequate vehicles and skills mostly stuck to the right. I read about some of those wild backups on 83, 70, and 495. What a mess!
I hope next week's storm tracks more to the south. I'd rather have nothing but snow instead of the mixed crap we got this week. And I would hope the NWS gets a bit more consistent and stern with their warnings when it's obvious this stuff is coming. Some employers weren't convinced it was coming.
Posted by: BigDragon | January 28, 2011 11:02 AM
Folks here need to ditch the herd mentality during storms, and use the northbound streets like Calvert or Central Avenue, then get on Charles, or if going towards Pennsylvania, use York. They might have to drive 2 hours out of the way, or even park somewhere, but I think it beats being stuck for 8 hours or longer.
Posted by: Polyester Stomper | January 28, 2011 12:14 PM