Weather Decision Made By Howard County Public School System For Tuesday

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Due to forecasted weather, the Howard County Public School System implemented a two-hour late start Tuesday.

All morning sessions of half-day pre-kindergarten and RECC are canceled. All morning childcare programs in HCPSS schools, sponsored by the Columbia Association and the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks, cancelled. There will be no morning ARL classes. ARL afternoon classes were on schedule, school officials stated.

Officials stated Monday late afternoon that they would reevaluate conditions by 7:30 a.m. after initially calling for a two-hour late start.

A winter storm will be rolling into Maryland Tuesday. Winter precipitation should start around 5 a.m. and finish by 1 p.m. Tuesday. With a high near 41 degrees on Tuesday, the Old Line State is on the fringe of the wintry and rainy sides of the storm, according to weather reports. A dusting of snow is possible in central Maryland, but the main concerns are ice and heavy rain. Northern and western Maryland are anticipating the most ice.

Western Maryland could see 1 to 3 inches of snow, but the Interstate 95 corridor is expecting a trace to 1 inch. Areas east of I-95 may not see any snow unless the storm proves stronger than anticipated. If the system strengthens, even southern Maryland could get a trace of snow.

"The rain versus snow line is expected to come close to the Interstate 95 corridor between Monday night and Tuesday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. "A slight shift in the storm track farther offshore could help to pull in cold enough air for snow to occur in places like Philadelphia, New York City and Boston."

"High pressure will return today. The next storm system will move across the region early Tuesday morning, and this will bring a wintry mix to much of the region," the National Weather Service wrote Monday in a forecast discussion. "The Tuesday morning commute could be impacted."

The NWS noted that "another disturbance may move through the region later in the week." Friday night has a possibility of snow, with a low of around 25 degrees. The chance of precipitation is 40%.

Additional reporting by Patch Editor Jacob Baumgart