Freezing Rain, Sleet Across MD Cause Slick Conditions, School Delays

MARYLAND — Freezing rain and sleet are expected in Maryland Thursday morning, with the highest ice accumulations in the northern and western suburbs of Baltimore and Washington, D.C., according to the National Weather Service.

A winter weather advisory issued by the NWS will remain in effect until 1 p.m. Thursday. Meteorologists are calling for total ice accumulations somewhere between a glaze and 0.1 inches in the Baltimore and D.C. suburbs.

Western Maryland, on the other hand, could see an ice storm that could cause very slick roads and power outages due to ice accumulating on trees, according to forecasters.

"As freezing rain continues to overspread the area along and NW of I-95, take it slow if traveling this morning. We already have reports of treacherous driving conditions west of the Blue Ridge with trees down in Garrett County, MD due to ice accretion," the NWS said Thursday morning.

The wintry mix began in western Maryland Wednesday night and transitioned into central Maryland by the pre-dawn hours Thursday. Temperatures started Thursday in the 30s and are expected to reach the mid-40s by this afternoon.

As of 7 a.m. Thursday, main roads in central Maryland and Montgomery and Prince George's counties were mainly wet and conditions were soggy, but drivers were urged to be careful as roads could turn icy, especially on untreated road surfaces and bridges and overpasses.

Maryland State Highway Administration crews have put salt brine on state roads, like Maryland Route 140 in Owings Mills, since early Wednesday morning. Their advice to drivers is to try and avoid rush-hour Thursday morning, if possible.

"For folks that don't have to go in, we want you to delay travel until it changes over to rain, but that's going to linger out to the west," SHA spokesman Charlie Gischlar told WBAL TV.

Maryland's real-time road conditions can be checked online.

West of Montgomery County, the pavement was freezing near the Frederick-Washington County line along Interstate 70 as of 7 a.m., according to the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang.

An ice storm warning is in effect until 10 p.m. Thursday for Allegany, Garrett, Frederick and Washington counties, Maryland, due to the major ice accumulations that are expected.

Schools in many parts of Maryland are opening two hours late, including in Montgomery, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, Howard, Harford and Baltimore counties, as well as Baltimore City schools.

By 9 a.m., temperatures are expected to start warming up, with the precipitation changing to all rain by 1 p.m. In the afternoon and early evening, Marylanders should expect heavy rain and windier conditions.

Rain showers are expected to continue overnight and end early Friday morning, according to the NWS.

Here's the latest NWS forecast for central Maryland and the D.C. suburbs for the next few days:

Thursday: Rain or freezing rain, becoming all rain after 10 a.m. High near 43. East wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Little or no ice accumulation expected.

Thursday night: Rain, mainly before 2 a.m. Low around 38. Northeast wind 8 to 13 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 46. Northwest wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.

Friday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. West wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light after midnight.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43. Light west wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Saturday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 27.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 37.

Sunday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26.