Freezing Rain

Travelers in Maryland could face some icing road conditions beginning tomorrow night that could linger into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.There is a chance of freezing rain, and possibly sleet, that could start tomorrow and continue into the weekend, said forecaster Bill Miller.Miller said the precipitation will be brought on by a fast moving warm front from the west. The front, when it meets a cold air mass positioned over the Mid-Atlantic, will combine for the freezing rain that could begin as a light snow.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory in the Baltimore area until 6 a.m. Saturday, saying freezing rain and a trace accumulation of ice could pose travel hazards. With overnight temperatures in the lower 30s, sidewalks and untreated roads, especially bridges and overpasses, may prove slippery, the weather service said. Drivers were encouraged to exercise caution on the road. Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

A winter storm carrying sleet and freezing rain hit Maryland last night with five Maryland counties putting snow emergency plans into effect and salt trucks hitting main roads throughout the Baltimore metropolitan area. Forecasters predicted freezing rain will continue through this morning's rush hour, resulting in slick streets and traffic headaches. According to the National Weather Service, the storm was the leading edge of a weather system that dumped snow, sleet and freezing rain from Texas to Missouri yesterday and approached Maryland from the southwest.

Snow and sleet could move into a cloudy Baltimore region on Friday afternoon, complicating the afternoon commute and changing to rain or freezing rain in the evening hours, according to the National Weather Service. But forecasters said Friday morning the chances of any meaningful precipitation for the Baltimore area are waning. According to Foot's Forecast, " the storm has really fizzled before it can bring a hazardous commute today, but some smaller impacts are expected. " Foot's meteorologists note that the area hasn't seen a "signicant" snowfall in two years, since 2-6 inches fell Feb. 21-22, 2011.

Bad weather -- snow, sleet and freezing rain -- is heading our way, says the National Weather Service at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.A winter storm warning has been issued for central Maryland and northern sections, including the Baltimore metropolitan area.A spokesman for the weather service at BWI said this morning that snow from the Shenandoah Valley was "spreading into Frederick County. Hagerstown called and said they were getting some light stuff. We're also getting a lower cloud deck, which indicates the potential for precipitation to start any time."

The "snow drops" arrived two days ago: 600 extra loaves of bread and 600 extra cartons of milk.By noon yesterday, Barbara Rogers had four of those loaves and two of those cartons -- and a slew of other foul-weather provisions -- in her shopping cart at the Giant supermarket at the Rotunda in North Baltimore.All over the region, shoppers scrambled to stock their cupboards and refrigerators in anticipation of the snowstorm expected to hit here today.More than a dozen people were lined up outside Giant when it opened at 9 a.m., unusual for a New Year's Day, when holiday revelers tend to be home asleep or sipping coffee.

It could be winter's last gasp. Or a wet and sloppy welcome to spring 2006, which arrived just after lunchtime yesterday. Whatever you label it, forecasters said the daylong snow, sleet and freezing rain they're expecting in Baltimore today doesn't look like much to worry about - an inch or two on the grass and little or no accumulation on the streets - barring any surprises. Two to 4 inches are possible from Washington County west, with a possible impact on the morning commute. "It is March, and there's no shock or surprise about this kind of weather through March," said Jackie Hale, a spokeswoman at the National Weather Service's Sterling, Va., forecast office.

Marylanders faced the grim prospect of an ice storm today, with sleet and freezing rain predicted to fall throughout the day on top of a few inches of overnight snow. It's the latest in a series of small but troublesome storms this season that have vexed the forecasters assigned to pinpoint when and where the precipitation will fall - and how much - in all its forms. "These storms are fun to forecast, but also very stressful to forecast," said Marisa Ferger of the Pennsylvania State University Weather Communications Group in State College.

A steely day of freezing rain and melting ice glazed streets and sidewalks and filled streams to overflowing yesterday across Central Maryland. The miserable weather closed schools, triggered dozens of minor auto accidents and sent a surge of unlucky pedestrians to the hospital with broken bones. The rush of rain - and melting snow and ice - flooded streams and closed many low-lying roads, while ice-coated trees tore down power lines in Western Maryland, plunging 12,000 Marylanders into darkness.

The second major storm of the season is expected to hit Maryland today, but this one could bring widespread power outages and ice-covered roads. The National Weather Service said yesterday that snow would begin to fall in the Baltimore area at sunrise but that it would likely to change to sleet and freezing rain by late morning, then back to snow by sunset. Frederick County and western parts of the state are expected to escape the freezing rain, but they could get 6 to 12 inches of snow.

State Highway Administration officials are urging drivers to be careful during the Monday morning commute because freezing rain in the forecast may make the roads slick. As of 10 p.m. on Sunday, National Weather Service forecasters were calling for freezing rain in the Baltimore-Washington region between 4 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Monday, potentially mixed with sleet or snow in the early hours. Temperatures are expected to warm from an overnight of 31 degrees to the high 30s or low 40s. The State Highway Administration said it will not be pretreating the roads with salt, as the freezing rain will make treatment difficult.

A freezing rain advisory, predicting slick roads and icy conditions, has been issued for regions throughout Maryland, including Baltimore City and its surrounding counties, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Sunday. "Light icing on roadways and elevated surfaces will make traveling hazardous," according to NOAA, which estimates less than a tenth of an inch in accumulation. The alert, issued at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday, is expected to remain in effect through Monday morning.

The National Weather Service is calling for Monday to be rainy in the Baltimore area, with a high near 46 degrees and winds becoming southerly around 6 miles per hour. The chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New rainfall amounts between one tenth of an inch and one quarter of an inch are possible. A freezing rain advisory is in effect until 9 a.m. Monday. The advisory means periods of freezing drizzle will cause slippery roads and light icing on roadways and sidewalks. A small craft advisory is in effect Monday afternoon and evening for the tidal Potomac River from Cobb Island to Smith Point and for the Maryland Chesapeake Bay from North Beach to Smith Point.

Federal government offices in the Washington D.C. area will open with an 11 a.m. "delayed arrival" Monday, after a freezing rain advisory predicted slick roads and icy conditions throughout Maryland and the District. Non-emergency employees have the option to take unscheduled leave or "telework," according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Emergency employees must report as scheduled. "Light icing on roadways and elevated surfaces will make traveling hazardous," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which issued the weather advisory about 1:30 p.m. Sunday; it remains in effect into Monday morning.

Portions of Maryland north and west of I-95 could see some light freezing rain overnight, but most of the region will get no more than a cold rain, forecasters said. The National Weather Service posted Freezing Rain Advisories, effective from 1 a.m. until 10 a.m. Saturday, from Allegany County in the west to Harford County in the east. Montgomery and Howard counties and Baltimore City are also in the advisory zone. Less than a tenth of an inch of icing is expected, but freezing rain and drizzle could cause some "travel difficulties," forecasters said.

Marylanders should see the sun return by Wednesday afternoon, ending a siege of freezing rain and rain that slicked many streets and sidewalks, touched off a flurry of road accidents Tuesday, and closed or delayed school for hundreds of thousands of students. All that resulted from only a light icing early Tuesday. Forecasters said more icing was expected overnight into Wednesday, but rising temperatures should bring that to a halt before daybreak. "Most of the freezing rain will start at the onset of the [rain]

The pathway through the pinesIs whiteAnd stitched with rabbit tracks,PointillisteAre slanting dots of snow.Brown withered grassesBarely showAnd silence fillsThe ambient air.This delicacy cannot last,Of course,As dog printsMar the softnessOn the stones,When Robbie racing throughThe fieldDrops his slobbered stickAnd purity isPockedBy freezing rain.

Today's storm is the sort of puzzle that has meteorologists tearing their hair out as they try to figure out what sort of precipitation will fall on which parts of Maryland. "The whole East Coast in general is a very challenging place for forecasts when you get a storm like this," said Jeff Warner, a meteorologist at Penn State Weather Communications Group. The bay, the ocean, arctic air masses to the north, warm, wet storms from the south all come into play in very complex ways, he said.

Marylanders still brushing off from last week's snowstorm, rush-hour chaos and power outages, were bracing for another winter blow Tuesday, this time a two-part ice storm that was set to begin overnight. Widespread icing of more than a quarter-inch is possible north and west of Baltimore before the storm ends Wednesday morning, forecasters said. As much as a half-inch of ice is possible along the Pennsylvania border. "When you get into the half-inch range you start to see a lot of significant damage.

Will this week's Groundhog Day bring another round of misery to Maryland? Although forecasters aren't calling for heavy snow, a developing storm is likely to bring at least sleet and freezing rain to the area beginning Monday night. Brian Lasorsa, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said the Baltimore-area will see only "light accumulations" of snow, but added that "the big impact will be the ice. " Lasorsa said flurries could start Monday night and turn into freezing rain Tuesday, which could refreeze, making roads icy. Forecasters are calling for a 60 percent chance of precipitation to start Monday with between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.