MD Weather: Icy Commute Possible Wednesday Morning

MARYLAND — The first week of January 2022 has gone all-in on winter weather across much of Maryland, according to the latest update from the National Weather Service.

A large swath of D.C., Virginia and Maryland faces a 30 to 50 percent chance of light freezing rain or drizzle on Wednesday morning. This could leave what NWS describes as "a light glaze of ice accumulation" on area roads, creating potentially hazardous conditions for commuters.

Forecasters warned commuters in the Baltimore-DC region they may face significant delays on Wednesday if the freezing rain materializes during the morning rush hour.

Drivers have already had a large share of weather-related accidents on D.C. and Northern Virginia roads this week. Monday's winter storm dumped nearly a foot of snow in some areas and stranded hundreds of vehicles on I-95 overnight south of Fredericksburg, and left more than 260,000 Virginians without power midday on Tuesday

In Maryland, snow ranged from 11 inches in Waldorf, Charles County, to less than 2 inches in the Bel Air area.

The National Weather Service said Tuesday that freezing rain could affect Carroll, Baltimore, Cecil, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, Charles, Montgomery, Howard and Harford counties in Maryland.

The alert also includes: Baltimore, Eldersburg, Westminster, Reisterstown, Cockeysville, Bowie, College Park, Greenbelt, Laurel, Glen Burnie, Annapolis, Severn, Severna Park, Arnold, Odenton, Germantown, Bethesda, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, Columbia, Ellicott City, Jarrettsville and Aberdeen.

A winter weather advisory will be in effect from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Here's the latest forecast:

Tuesday Afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37. South wind 5 to 7 mph.

Tuesday Night: A slight chance of freezing rain after 4am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 27. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday: A chance of rain or freezing rain before 8am, then a chance of rain between 8am and 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 46. Southwest wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Southwest wind around 8 mph.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 41. Northwest wind 3 to 8 mph.