One-two punch of cold and accumulating snow coming to Maryland
Cold temperatures will be the big story for this Thursday night as overnight lows dip down into the lower to middle 20s. Cold and quiet weather continues through Friday.
The weekend will start of off dry and quiet, but accumulating snow is now likely Saturday night into early Sunday morning. A blast of bitter and arctic air will follow Sunday night into Monday morning.
Cold, quiet weather in Maryland through Saturday afternoon
High pressure will keep our weather cold and quiet through the beginning of the weekend. The gusty and harsh winds from Thursday afternoon will continue to relax. Expect overnight lows to dip down into the lower to middle 20s overnight with a partly cloudy sky.
Friday will turn out to be a cold and quiet day. Expect a mixture of clouds and sunshine throughout the day. Clouds will give way to breaks of sunshine. Travel weather will stay good as roads stay dry. High temperatures will top out in the upper 30s. A weak clipper system should pass by to our south Friday night, this means most of the flurries and snow showers should stay south of our area. There is the chance of a stray flurry with overnight lows dipping down into the upper 20s.
Saturday looks cold and quiet with a partly to mostly cloudy sky. Highs will top out in the middle 40s. Right now, Saturday is the pick of the weekend with highs in the middle 40s.
Alert Day, accumulating snow in Maryland Sat. night into Sunday
An area of low pressure will push in from the west late Saturday into Sunday. This will bring a patch of light to moderate snow to the area beginning Saturday night and continuing into Sunday morning. Clouds will thicken Saturday afternoon into evening before snow begins overnight Saturday into Sunday.
The snow should begin late Saturday evening. It even may begin as a brief rain and snow mix at the start. As colder air filters in behind the storm, snow should begin to stick overnight Saturday into Sunday. The timeline of when the snow begins to fall is sometime between 10 p.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday.
Given that the snow arrives during the overnight hours, it should start to stick quickly to most untreated surfaces. Right now, the accumulation forecast is for a general 1 to 3 inches of snow across much of central and eastern Maryland, including Baltimore City. Some areas may get upwards of 4 inches of snow in areas that receive some of the heavier snow banding.
Travel Sunday morning will be messy and slippery, especially on untreated surfaces and on secondary roads. The snow should quickly come to and end before 9 or 10 a.m. Sunday. Community activities and services may be delayed or cancelled Sunday morning due to the snow.
Arctic blast follows Sunday night into Monday for Baltimore
The coldest air of the season yet will arrive Sunday evening and Sunday night. Temperatures will plunge into the teens and lower 20s by early Sunday evening. Winds out of the northwest at 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 25 mph will continue into Sunday night.
Wind-chills overnight Sunday into Monday morning will be a problem with single digit temperatures possible. Combine the bitter cold wind-chills with any leftover snow on the ground, and the conditions are ripe for refreeze. Please use extreme caution if driving Sunday night into early Monday morning.
Monday looks cold and sunny with highs in the lower 30s, so some gradual melting will take place.
Much milder temperatures are likely by the end of next week with highs returning to the 50s.