Rain

Last month, state officials called a "drought watch" for 15 counties in Maryland. October was set to be one of the driest on record; then five days of rain turned the water tables, ending with a precipitation record that was 2.8 inches above the average. Cloudy skies have been present this month, too, though the November precipitation total at BWI-Marshall Airport - 1.36 inches - is still below normal so far. According to the National Weather Service, the average for this point in November is 1.8 inches.

Tuesday is already Baltimore's rainiest day since at least April 19, and with heavier showers possibly to come, forecasters cautioned of possible localized flooding in the evening hours. More than half an inch of rain had fallen at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport from 9 a.m. through 2 p.m. Another half an inch is possible in the afternoon and evening hours, according to the National Weather Service. Showers are expected to continue into the early hours of Wednesday morning for Central Maryland, according to the weather service.

Two boys soccer showdowns -- No. 1 McDonogh at No. 5 Loyola and No. 7 Calvert Hall at No. 2 Archbishop Curley -- have been postponed due to the weather. Make-up dates have yet to be set. 

The National Weather Service is calling for Tuesday to be cloudy in the Baltimore area, with a high near 48 and winds becoming southeasterly between 4 and 7 miles per hour. There is a 20 percent chance of rain after 9 a.m. Tuesday night is expected to be cloudy, with a low around 35 and south winds around 5 miles per hour or less. There is a 20 percent chance of rain before midnight. Wednesday is expected to start out mostly cloudy and then gradually become sunny, with a high near 50 and northwest winds between 8 and 13 miles per hour.

Much of the predicted snowstorm that closed local schools and put highway crews on the alert Wednesday failed to materialize in Harford County. Predictions for snow accumulations fluctuated as the late-winter storm system, known as Winter Storm Saturn, approached the Mid-Atlantic region. The storm left much of the Eastern Seaboard with wet and heavy snow, power outages, flooding and major traffic accidents, although Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region escaped with mostly mixed rain and snow, and high winds, according to Weather.com.

The National Weather Service is calling for a wintry mix of rain and possibly light snow Tuesday in the Baltimore area, with a high near 41 and north winds 6 to 10 miles per hour. The chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Little or no accumulation is expected in the Baltimore area. Light snowfall accumulations are expected in north Baltimore and Harford counties. A small craft advisory is in effect through Tuesday night for the Maryland Chesapeake Bay and lower tidal Potomac River.

Rain and drizzle are in the forecast in New York on Wednesday, another damp prelude to the Orioles/Yankees American League Division Series, but skies are once again expected to clear up by game time. The National Weather Service's New York office is predicting a 90 percent chance of rain throughout the day. By the evening, the skies are expected to turn partly cloudy. First pitch is scheduled for about 7:30 p.m. Each of the first two games of the series, both at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, have been delayed by rain.

From the Sun's archives: This time last year remnants of Tropical Storm Lee were playing havoc with the Orioles and Yankees. Both teams were getting water logged. The Orioles had started a three-game series at Yankee stadium on a steamy Sept. 5, losing 11-10. On Sept. 6, Yankees won 5-3 after a 4-hour rain delay. Sept. 7, the Orioles triumphed 5-4 after playing 11 innings on a soggy day in the Bronx. They returned to Camden Yards on Sept. 8 to play the Yankees in a make-up game from Aug. 27 that was canceled by Hurricane Irene.

March 2012 wasn't just extreme for its warmth. It ended as No. 17 among the months of March on record for Baltrimore, with 1.76 inches of rain. That is just less than half the normal rainfall of nearly 4 inches. And it significantly widens a rainfall deficit for the year, as measured at BWI Airport. January and February both were about half an inch below average in the rainfall department, and with March's 2.14-inch deficit, the region is nearly 3 and a half inches below average.

TC H