Precipitation likely to end this afternoon

Sleet fell in the Baltimore metropolitan area yesterday, arriving in the afternoon on blasts of cold air pouring into the Chesapeake region from the north and northwest. The precipitation was expected to end this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

Jim Wiesmueller, a weather service forecaster in Sterling, Va., said moisture from the southwestern part of the country mixed with the cold air to create "ice pellets," or sleet.

Temperatures were just below 40 degrees at rush hour last night, Wiesmueller said. Highs today are expected to be in the mid-30s, with a light dusting of snow and sleet possible before dawn.

The forecast calls for cold, dry weather through Christmas.