Forecasters are calling for six to 12 inches of snow in the immediate Baltimore area — with more expected in the northern suburbs — tonight through midday Tuesday.

The snow could make for a slick evening commute today and a potentially dangerous one Tuesday morning, with possible whiteout conditions.

And cold air will linger for days, leaving roads slick with refrozen snow melt.

“I don’t think anyone will be going anywhere on Tuesday,” said Rich Foot of Foot’s Forecast. “We’ll go from green grass and budding little trees to our winter nightmareland in a matter of hours.”

The Maryland State Highway Administration said Sunday it has been pretreating roads, and Wisp Resort announced it would reopen for skiing and snowboarding this week after closing amid a warm February.

“Don’t let the recent mild weather fool you — it’s still winter and this storm is coming,” said Gov. Larry Hogan. “Marylanders should prepare for the storm and make plans to check on vulnerable family, friends and neighbors when the bad weather hits. Use common sense and don’t drive during the storm.”

Dan Hofmann, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said six to 10 inches of snow will likely fall in the immediate Baltimore area, with four to seven inches in the southern suburbs. The northern suburbs will get more, he said, though the probability of more than 20 inches near the Pennsylvania border was “low.”

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning Sunday for the entire Baltimore and Washington areas starting 7 p.m. tonight until 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The snow could start as early as 5 p.m. today, but most forecasts said heavy snow would not begin until 8 or 9 p.m.

Foot estimated Baltimore would get about 10 inches, but he said northwest suburbs out to Frederick could get 14 inches. He said Tuesday and Wednesday’s commutes would be “like an icebox sliding across a skating rink” because of snow and ice. Winds will also be strong Tuesday morning.

Alyson Hoegg, a meteorologist with AccuWeather, said Baltimore could get eight to 12 inches of snow, with wind gusts up to 50 mph Tuesday morning. The high winds could lead to power outages.

“If they could stay home on Tuesday, I would advise it,” she said.

cwells@baltsun.com