ALERT DAY: Heavy snow expected for Maryland with 4 to 8 inches

Updated: 05:23 EST January 6, 2025

THE TIME NOW 445. We check into Annapolis. THIS MORNING IN ANNAPOLIS. HEY, check it out. SOME OF THE BOATS WITH HOLIDAY LIGHTS ARE BACK IN OPERATION, so people are still celebrating the holidays. I PERSONALLY TOOK MINE OFF, SIMPLY BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT THEM TO GET COVERED WITH SNOW, BUT I WAS STUNNED BY IT. YOU CAN SEE THE PARKING LOT THERE AT CITY DOCK COMPLETELY COVERED IN SNOW. Let’s get straight to the good stuff. How much snow? DO WE EXPECT? I say this storm system is behaving really well, which is good news because we’re prepared, we know what to expect and it looks like there’s going to be 10 to 20 cm of snow in most areas and that is significant enough to really cause A LOT OF PROBLEMS ON THE ROADS. We know that all schools are also closed. EVEN MORE COULD ONLY FALL SOUTH OF BALTIMORE. So a place like Annapolis can get 8 inches of snow. So we will keep a close eye on how difficult it gets in our south. THIS SHOULD BE ALL OVER BY MIDNIGHT, BUT ACTUALLY A LOT OF IT WILL BE BY NOON THIS MORNING. AND WE WILL BE STUCK BELOW FREEZING ALL DAY. 29 DEGREES. And this means that any road that is not salted and not plowed will be very slippery. However, the wind is blowing slightly from the northeast at 5 to 10 miles per hour, which is good news because it means we won’t have as much wind and drifts. VISIBILITY IS BETTER THAN IN STRONGER WIND AND WE STILL DO NOT HAVE TO CALCULATE A LARGE WIND COOL. However, that will be the case this evening as the wind picks up and it feels much colder. YOU CAN NOW SEE SNOW ACROSS THE STATE ON THE RADAR, BUT THE DARKER SHADES OF PURPLE REPRESENT WHERE THE SNOW IS BECOMING MORE COMMON IN THE SOUTH. IT’S REALLY HEAVY IN PARTS OF VIRGINIA NOW, BUT THEN IT WILL CHANGE TO MORE OF A MIXTURE OF SLEET AND MAYBE EVEN SOME FREEZING RAIN TOWARD RICHMOND. SO THIS EVENT WILL OCCUR DIFFERENT THAN MANY OF US USUALLY DO WHERE THE SNOW IS COMMON IN THE NORTH. WE OFTEN HAVE A MIXTURE NEAR BALTIMORE. NOT THE CASE. THERE IS MAINLY SNOW IN THE BALTIMORE AREA. ANY MIXING SHOULD BE PRESENT IN OUR SOUTH, BUT THAT ALSO MEANS SOME OF THE HEAVIEST BANDS OF SNOW WILL ONLY BE PRESENT CLOSE TO THIS MIXING. TODAY IN VIRGINIA AND SOUTHERN MARYLAND. BUT I WANT TO ZOOM UP NOW TO PARTS OF 70 WHERE A HEAVY BAND OF SNOW IS JUST COME THROUGH. IT’S NOT THAT HARD AT THE MOMENT, BUT ON THE MAP YOU CAN STILL SEE THE DARKER PURPLE SHADES. So recently there was a snowfall rate of about an inch per hour. And when it gets that heavy, you know it can even overtake roads that have already been plowed. So just expect this part of the 70 to go really slowly until crews can get back out. We also saw some heavy streaking on that section of 95 around Elkridge and also parts of 295, so the roads south of Baltimore are definitely worse, as we’ll see in Sean’s traffic report. Here too, the deeper purple tones represent where it snows more heavily. It gets worse the further south you go, but it’s still snowing all the way to the Maryland-Delaware border. Wherever you go you will encounter this snow, this low pressure system is moving east and will move away from the coast by this evening. And the fact that it stays mostly south of us means we don’t get the heaviest snow, but we don’t get the mix either. To keep things somewhat consistent for today. Let’s take a look ahead as we start with temperatures in the 20s. AND THE SNOW WILL BE PRETTY CONSTANT ALL MORNING. AND THAT’S WHY WE WILL GET THE LARGEST OF OUR COLLECTION. Things really go down until 8:00 and 10:00. So expect the roads to continue to deteriorate, even as some drivers try to get them under control. I REALLY WOULD NOT EXPECT ANY IMPROVEMENT UNTIL WE GET AROUND 12:00 WHEN THE CONSTANT SNOW STARTS TO APPEAR AND THERE COULD BE A FLAT OF SNOW ALL EARLY AFTERNOON. Of course, you can’t promise good roads with this much snow, but if there’s a time that’s a little better, it’s in the early afternoon when crews can tackle the roads. IF IT DON’T GO DOWN THAT HARD AND THEN WE’LL SEE THE SECOND The round comes later in the evening as there is still additional snow accumulation throughout the evening. But at this point, much of it is south of Baltimore. That’s why places like Annapolis, Easton and Cambridge could see heavier snowfall because there will be a second round tonight. There may be light to moderate snow elsewhere throughout the rest of the evening. And that should wear off by midnight. Note that we will stay below freezing in the 20s all day and then it will get even colder this evening with lows in the teens. The wind is picking up so it will feel more like single digits this evening. THIS WILL BE THE SECOND STORY. We’re talking about how it’s just going to be really cold for the next few days. OUR FORECAST FOR TODAY: WEATHER WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW, IN THE AREAS SOUTH OF BALTIMORE IT COULD POSSIBLY BE UP TO 10 INCHES OR MORE INCHES OF SNOW. THEN WE’RE IN THE 20S TONIGHT. The snowfall is expected to ease by midnight, but I suspect many side roads and sidewalks will still be quite icy tomorrow morning until the sun breaks out, which may help. It’s just cold and windy in the middle of the week, and I even have to pay attention to whether it will snow again on Saturday. BUT WAY TOO SOON

ALERT DAY: Heavy snow expected for Maryland with 4 to 8 inches

Updated: 05:23 EST January 6, 2025

Meteorologist Ava Marie says it’s an alert day for Maryland with heavy snow and cold temperatures below freezing. Snow will continue into the evening and could result in 10 to 20 cm of accumulation. The snow is expected to end around midnight. The temperatures are only above 20°C and the wind increases towards evening. The rest of the week will be clear but cold, with mostly sunny skies and temperatures around 30 degrees. Stay tuned to WBAL-TV for the latest snow coverage.

BALTIMORE—

Meteorologist Ava Marie says it’s an alert day for Maryland with heavy snow and cold temperatures below freezing. The snow will continue into the evening and could result in 10 to 20 cm of snow accumulation. The snow is expected to end around midnight. The temperatures are only above 20 °C and the wind increases towards evening. The rest of the week will be clear but cold, with mostly sunny skies and temperatures around 30 degrees. Stay tuned to WBAL-TV for the latest snow coverage.