Snowstorm expected to arrive today; Southern Maryland may see 3 inches
As much as 3 inches of snow could fall in Anne Arundel County and an inch or two is possible around Baltimore as a major snow and ice storm moves across the Southeast and up the Atlantic coast today.
The storm is expected to dump as much as a foot of snow on parts of North Carolina and Virginia, and its northernmost bands are expected to bring as much as 7 inches of snow to southern portions of Maryland.
Its impact in the Baltimore area was less certain Friday evening, but if the storm tracks even a few miles farther north than expected, it could mean a few inches of snow for the Interstate 95 corridor.
Anne Arundel was placed under a winter weather advisory from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, and snow was expected to move in by daybreak. Officials expected it to cover roadways, with temperatures falling into the lower 20s overnight and remaining in the 20s throughout the day.
In advance of the potential storm, Anne Arundel County public schools canceled all school-sponsored activities scheduled for today.
“There is going to be a fairly tight gradient of snow amounts from northwest to southeast,” said John Gresiak, a senior forecaster for AccuWeather.com. “You don't really have to go very far to the northwest and there will be little or nothing.”
To the southeast of that dividing line, wherever it ends up, snowfall is expected to be heavy, he said. State highway crews and emergency management officials were preparing for significant snowfall in Southern Maryland and the lower Eastern Shore.
St. Mary's, Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester counties are under a winter storm starting at 1 a.m. today. As much as 7 inches of snow is expected in those areas.
Queen Anne's, Talbot, and Caroline counties on the Eastern Shore are under a winter storm watch, with the potential for 5 inches of snow. Charles and Calvert counties in Southern Maryland are under a winter weather advisory, with 1 to 3 inches of snow possible.
Maryland Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Russell Strickland urged residents in areas that see accumulating snow to avoid driving during the storm, and warned Marylanders across the state to beware of strong, frigid winds that could make it feel as cold as the single digits early this morning and the teens into the afternoon.
Temperatures are forecast to remain in the teens and 20s throughout the weekend, possibly not reaching 30 degrees until Monday and not rising above freezing until Tuesday.
Winter storm warnings are in effect from Louisiana to Massachusetts as a mass of Arctic air covering the eastern half of the country meets moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is expected to just brush the coast as it moves toward the Northeast later today, potentially dropping some snowflakes on Philadelphia and New York before pounding Cape Cod.
The cold air is even expected to reach Miami, where lows are forecast in the 50s this weekend.
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