Two-part storm due; up to half-inch of ice possible
The National Weather Service has split its forecast for the coming, two-part ice storm and expanded the area affected. Up to a half-inch of ice is possible by Wednesday morning for communities along the Pennsylvania border. A quarter-inch is possible in Baltimore.
First, there is now a Winter Weather Advisory posted tonight for all the northern tier of counties along the Pennsylvania line, as well as for Montgomery, Howard, Prince George's and Anne Arundel Counties and the northern counties of the Eastern Shore.
The Advisory is in effect from midnight Tuesday morning to noon. Along the northern border it calls for sleet beginning this evening, changing to freezing rain after midnight tonight, with one- to two-tenths of an inch of ice accumulation by Tuesday morning.
Lesser amounts - a few hundredths of an inch - are likely to the south and east, including Anne Arundel County.
The precipitation may pause during the day Tuesday, much as it did during last Wednesday's storm. But heavier accumulations of ice are forecast for the region as the freezing rain resumes later in the day.
Up to a quarter-inch of new ice is possible before it all ends Wednesday, forecasters said in a Winter Storm Watch posted for that period. The forecast ice accumulation map, however, shows up to a half-inch along the Pa. border, and a quarter-inch of more north and west of U.S. 40, including Baltimore.
Comments
I've been watching the NWS site Watches and Advisories fall in and out of sync with their own county-wide forecast (point forecast seems to be broken, perhaps by heavy web usage).
The County forecast has remained fairly consistent while the Watches and Advisories moved the start of precip from 7 p.m. to Midnight and then back to 7 p.m., and the total amount from fractions to "up to several inches" and back to fractions again.
I don't know if this is automated silliness, different folks in charge of different part of the systems, or some serious waffling going on down in Sterling, VA.
Posted by: Ken Marsh | January 31, 2011 10:17 PM
I just watched Fox 45's forecast and WBALTV's forecast for Wed -- Fox says 30 and freezing rain/ice; WBALTV says 42 and rain! How can they have such different forecasts for Wed?!?!
Posted by: Ummmmm... | January 31, 2011 11:35 PM
Unrelated, but thank you thank you thank you to whomever there at the Sun decided to give us back a legitimate weather page. Still not as good as it used to be, but a big improvement over that lousy page 3 setup.
Posted by: WildBillFan | February 1, 2011 12:01 AM
Ice has already formed on the streets at Highpoint, Harford County. Tue, 0700 hrs. This is not good. estimate .25" at this time.
Posted by: MDR | February 1, 2011 7:02 AM
This has to be the WORST calling I've seen all season, and that's saying something. ICE, ICE, ICE! The sky is going to fall!! Up to a half inch of ice!! A quarter inch on Wednesday! Um, I mean, just really not much at all on Tuesday and nothing but rain Wednesday.
Posted by: Again???? | February 1, 2011 7:11 AM
Really... another call from Harford County Emergency Management warning the public of devastation! Stock up on your meds, food, toilet paper, blankets and flash lights! "The End" is near! Granted there was one one hundredth of an inch of ice on untreated services this morning... does this warrant instilling fear in the masses that a half inch of ice could cause power outages for weeks at 43 degrees? Really.
Posted by: PTK | February 1, 2011 10:35 AM
33F in northern Carroll County at the PA line. Hopefully the temps will continue to trend warmer and we'll dodge the ice storm.
Posted by: Chris Smolinski | February 1, 2011 11:16 AM