Snow, Sleet Spark Winter Weather Advisory In MD

MARYLAND — Wintry slop is expected to coat Maryland throughout Saturday, drawing a winter weather advisory for parts of the state. This is the first of two winter storms on the radar.

The National Weather Service expects the precipitation to start Saturday morning. The NWS calls for snow and sleet accumulations of up to one inch and ice accumulations of around one-tenth of an inch.

"Precipitation likely starts as snow before transitioning to sleet and eventually freezing rain through midday. Precipitation will transition to rain late Saturday evening as temperatures warm," the NWS said in a winter weather advisory.

The advisory lasts from 9 a.m. Saturday to 11:59 p.m. Saturday.

The weather alert covers the northwestern parts of Harford, Baltimore, Howard and Montgomery Counties. Carroll County and westward is also included. Far western Maryland will be under a winter storm watch.

The rest of Central Maryland is also slated for a wintry mix, but the effects are expected to be lesser.

Maryland will get a short reprieve before a possible storm early next week.

"Another system will likely bring snow or a wintry mix of precipitation next Tuesday," the NWS said Friday on Facebook.

It's still too far out to forecast the specifics, but there's growing confidence that winter precipitation is possible.

"The current consensus is for this precipitation to start as snow for all, with an eventual changeover to freezing rain/sleet, or even rain possible (but not guaranteed) before precipitation ends," the NWS said in a forecast discussion. "Locations further south will have the greatest chance for mixing with ice and/or rain, while locations further north will have the greatest chance of staying all snow."

Here's the National Weather Service's seven-day forecast at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport:

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 49. Northwest wind 13 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Saturday: A chance of snow before 1pm, then snow and sleet between 1pm and 4pm, then rain, freezing rain, and sleet after 4pm. High near 32. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Saturday Night: Rain or freezing rain, becoming all rain after 10pm. Low around 32. East wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43. Northwest wind 10 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 42.

Monday Night: A chance of snow after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday: Snow. High near 37. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Tuesday Night: Snow before 1am, then a chance of rain and snow. Low around 29. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Wednesday: A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday Night: Rain. Low around 30. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Thursday: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. Chance of precipitation is 70%.