Inches Of Snow

Forecasters peering far into next week see much colder air ahead - the first real hint of winter. That raises the question: Will Baltimore see yet another Dec. 5 snowstorm this year? "Huh?" you say. Consider: On Dec. 5, 2002, BWI saw 7.4 inches of snow. The following year, 6.8 inches fell on the 5th and 6th. In 2004, winter took a holiday on the 5th, but 1.2 inches fluttered down over the next six days. Last year we got 3.3 inches on the 5th and 6th. The watch begins.

For the third time this week, snow and ice closed area schools and businesses.The storm Friday, which came from the gulf and began at3:15 a.m., dumped an additional three inches of snow on the county before changing to sleet and freezing rain late in the morning, said Larry Myers, weather observer."

At least 2 inches of snow will fall in the city by tonight while up to six inches could accumulate in counties north of the city and in Western Maryland as winter refuses to defer to the start of spring, eight days away.Last year on this date, the weather also was contrary. The high temperature was 92 degrees.Dick Diener, a forecaster for the National Weather Service at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, said the latest forecast calls for 1 to 2 inches to snow to fall in the city.

One to 3 inches of snow should fall in the central part of the state by tonight while up to 4 inches could accumulate in counties north of the city and in Western Maryland as winter refuses to defer to the start of spring, eight days away.In a revised forecast reducing the expected accumulation, the National Weather Service at Baltimore-Washington International Airport said one to 3 inches of snow will fall in the city and through the central part of the state. Residents of Baltimore, Harford and Carroll counties should see 2 to 4 inches of snow, with higher amounts in northern sections.

Calvert County got 13 inches, St. Mary's 11 and Anne Arundel 8 1/2 . It wasn't the typical Baltimore-area snowfall pattern, but some of the southernmost regions of the metro area saw about a dozen inches of snow yesterday, while areas north of the city experienced less than half of that. Baltimore County reported 4.8 to 7 inches, and Baltimore had less than 3 inches, said Calvin Meadows, meteorological technician for the National Weather Service's Baltimore/Washington Forecast Office in Sterling, Va. Meadows said that although the pattern might seem out of the ordinary, a storm's route and temperature can vary, determining which areas get more snow.

After getting a virtual reprieve from snow last year, Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore were socked yesterday with a winter storm that deposited 2 to 7 inches and caused a 15-car pileup in Charles County. The storm -- heavier than expected in some areas -- slickened roads and caused many traffic accidents, including the 15-car crash at the intersection of Route 5 and Route 488 near Hughesville. The morning pileup resulted in minor injuries and forced the rerouting of commuters heading south to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station.

An unexpected snowfall, the most Carroll County has had this winter, closed county public schools yesterday.National Weather Service observer Ray Muller reported that 5.8 inches fell in Finksburg, and Westminster had more than 7 inches in some areas.School officials at first planned to open two hours late, but after snow continued falling and slush covered some streets, classes were canceled.Maryland State Police at the Westminster barracks investigated 13 minor traffic accidents through 4 p.m. yesterday, all believed to be weather related, a spokesman said.

Snow emergency plans were put into effect yesterday in Allegany and Garrett counties, where snow and ice caused minor traffic accidents and forced the closing of Interstate 68 temporarily.Up to 2 inches of snow was forecast for the region, but state police said icy conditions caused problems last night, forcing the closing of I-68 for about a half-hour."We have had a lot of minor accidents but nothing major," said Cpl. Jim Pyles of the Cumberland barracks in Allegany County. He said snow started to fall about 8 p.m.Flurries fell throughout Central Maryland, including Baltimore, where today's forecast calls for partly sunny skies with highs in the low to mid-30s.

Not only did yesterday's snow make travel a hassle, you couldn't even make a decent sled run or snowball after sleet began to fall around midday.Barry Leppo of Manchester said it took him 90 minutes on what is normally a 45-minute commute to his job as a building contractor in Timonium.The snow refused to cooperate after he made it back home and took his family to Manchester Elementary School to go sledding.Heather Leppo, 7, said she and her brother Travis, 4, were having fun -- "kind of."

The weather showed some love on Valentine's Day through yesterday, coating the area with 2.4 inches of snow that road crews easily handled. But the honeymoon was set to end today, with a much stronger storm on the way. Forecasters said the storm, expected to begin this morning, could dump between 8 and 16 inches of snow and last through tomorrow. "This is a major snowstorm," said Steve Zubrick, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. " Twice this season, in December and early this month, storms have dumped at least 7 inches of snow on Baltimore.