Weather Update: Heavy, Wet Snow to Follow Tuesday Afternoon Rain

Update 5:14 p.m. Tuesday -- Rain is expected to move into the Washington metropolitan area between 7 - 9 p.m. Tuesday and will change to snow as temperatures drop, according to the National Weather Service. 

DC is under a winter storm warning from midnight Wednesday through 3 a.m. Thursday. During that time, DC could see rain, a wintry mix, snow, a mix and snow again, National Weather Service meteorologists predict. 

• See: Timeline: When Will Snow Hit DC?

There is a strong chance for flight delays and cancelations at area airports late Tuesday through Thursday morning as the DC and Baltimore areas dig out.

For information on weather, traffic and school and other event delays and cancelations, see Georgetown Patch's snowstorm info hub.

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Georgetown could see anywhere from 3 to 8 inches of snow with a storm expected to start as rain Tuesday afternoon.

The latest forecasts show rain starting around 3 p.m. Tuesday with temperatures dropping through the evening hours to near freezing. As temperatures drop, the rain will turn to wet, heavy snow.

Snow will continue overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday.

See also: 

• Where to Buy a Snow Shovel Near Georgetown
• Winter Storm Emergency Preparedness Tips
• Driving Tips for Snow

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The Winter Storm Watch from the National Weather Service predicts "more than 5 inches possible with the potential for more than a foot somewhere within the watch area."

The DC area has gotten at least a trace of snow in March in 15 of the past 30 years, WTOP reported. Seven of those 15 snowfalls have been less than an inch. The most recently really significant snow in March was 5.5 inches in 2009.

Both Punxsutawney Phil and Potomac Phil predicted an early spring this year.

Forecast Details

NBC-4's chief meteorologist Doug Kammerer predicts that areas west of Interstate 95 will see the most snow in the area, and western Fairfax "much more." Kammerer predicts no school for Wednesday and possibly Thursday, but no school district has made any decisions yet regarding school delays or cancelations.

ABC-7 senior meteorologist Bob Ryan says there is a 60 percent chance the area will see 3-7 inches of snow, a 30 percent chance the area will see 5-8 inches of snow and a 10 percent chance of 8-10 inches of snow.

Channel 9 chief meteorologist Topper Shutt tweeted: "Prep for #snowquester fill prescriptions, check flashlights, full car up with full tank of gas, bring in firewood @wusa9."

National Weather Service forecast for Wednesday: "Snow before 3 p.m., then rain and snow. High near 35 degrees. Breezy, with a north wind 15 to 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible."

Thursday and Friday, skies will be mostly sunny and temperatures will climb back into the 40s.

Web sites to keep handy:

• DC Department of Transportation Snow Plowing Information
• DDOT Live Traffic Information
• PEPCO Electric Outage Map