Maryland Weather: A storm system will create cold temperatures and wintry conditions
BALTIMORE -- It will be clear and cold tonight with low temperatures falling well into the 20s across the region.
Wednesday will start with sunshine and clouds, but the clouds will thicken and lower as the day goes on.
By the afternoon, temperatures will have dipped into the low 40s.
The much-advertised storm system will approach Maryland by Wednesday night.
Precipitation will likely hold off until after midnight as temperatures hover in most areas in the low 30s.
A *WINTER STORM WATCH* remains in effect from Wednesday evening through Thursday night for Garrett & Allegany Counties.
The coldest temperatures will occur across Western Maryland and this is where the wintry precipitation will start first.
It will begin as snow and sleet, and change to freezing rain as warmer air a few thousand feet above the ground moves in.
In the Baltimore area, expect the wintry weather to begin as early as 4 a.m. to 5 p.m.
It will begin earlier farther west in Western Maryland.
The precipitation will then spread across the region through the morning rush hour.
Ice accumulations are likely west of I-95 with more significant accumulations west of the Blue Ridge Mountains into Garrett & Allegany Counties, which will stay cold enough for the duration of the event for significant icing to occur.
Areas farther east will switch to rain by afternoon, with the I-95 corridor and the Eastern Shore seeing a changeover occurring quickly through the morning Thursday.
Significant ice accumulations are not expected in the Baltimore area, however, a few slick spots may occur toward the start of the event early Thursday morning just in time for the morning rush hour.
The rest of Thursday for most of the region will be very wet and occasionally breezy. Some heavy rainfall will be possible at times.
Rain totals could exceed 2" in some isolated spots, but in general between 1-2" of total rainfall can be expected by late Thursday night.
The storm system will move quickly out of the area, and most areas will be rain-free by Friday morning.
The rest of Friday and the weekend will be dry with partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies and highs in the 40s.
Lows will dip into the 20s and 30s through Sunday.
It will remain dry through Wednesday of next week with sun and clouds and highs in the 40s.