Snow

Winter is not quite ready to leave Baltimore. Weather forecasters called for a wintry mix of rain and snow to start falling late Sunday and into Monday that was likely to complicate morning commutes. The forecast is for "a slushy inch" of accumulation at most in Baltimore on Monday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Witt. Parts of Carroll, Baltimore, Harford and Howard counties could see 1 to 3 inches. Much of the accumulation is expected to be on grassy areas.

Overnight temperatures in the 20s will rise during a mostly sunny Friday, but only into the mid-40s, according to the National Weather Service. A few days into spring now, the Baltimore region will continue its cold snap through the weekend as well, with snow possible on Sunday, the weather service forecasted. Westerly wind gusts of up to 30 mph will make for a blustery day, with temperatures dropping back into the low-30s downtown and upper-20s in the suburbs tonight, the weather service said.

Baltimore area residents can expect some precipitation, possibly including small amounts of snow, overnight Sunday, with the greatest likelihood of wintry weather occurring in the predawn hours Monday, according to Greg Schoor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. "We're expecting a mix of snow and rain in periods [overnight Sunday]. We don't have an official prediction on accumulation at this point, but our current track of thinking suggests it would be light in both the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas," said Schoor, who was monitoring conditions early Friday evening.

There are still uncertainties surrounding the snow forecast Sunday night and Monday, but here's the latest from forecasters: The National Weather Service in Sterling, Va.,   says higher elevations will get the brunt of any accumulation but there is still a possibility of snow in the I95 corridor Sunday night: "GRIDS HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED TO FAVOR SNOW AS PRIMARY [PRECIPITATION TYPE] ACROSS MUCH OF THE COUNTY WARNING AREA OVERNIGHT SUNDAY...WITH THE RAIN OR SNOW AT  PRECIPITATION ONSET SUNDAY AND ALSO DURING THE DAY MONDAY  FOR THOSE AREAS THAT ARE NOT CONSIDERED HIGHER ELEVATIONS.

Forecasters are cautiously keeping an eye on the potential for snow Sunday night into Monday. National Weather Service officials call it a "tricky forecast" in their forecast discussion : "MID-ATLANTIC LOOKS TO BE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRANSFER OF DOMINANCE FROM ONE LOW TO ANOTHER. THIS COMBINED WITH MARGINAL TEMPERATURES MAKES FOR A TRICKY FORECAST. " Baltimore area forecaster Eric the Red said he is treading carefully in speaking about the potential for snow. He says there's a large room for potential storm busters that could affect the "coastal jump" hitting the mid-Atlantic.

Sunny weather with temperatures in the mid-50s is expected for Wednesday, but temperatures could drop and scattered snow showers could arrive tonight, according to the National Weather Service. The weather service is forecasting a 40 percent chance of snow in the Baltimore region Wednesday night, with temperatures dropping to the low-30s downtown and the upper-20s in the suburbs. A chance of flurries is being forecast on Thursday as well. The weather service is forecasting a partly sunny Friday and Saturday, with highs in the mid-40s.

Even the arrival of spring Wednesday isn't erasing the possibility of snow in the forecast for the next few days. Forecasters are keeping an eye on two storms - snow from the northwest, and a weaker rain storm from the south - that could affect the mid Atlantic by late Sunday night or Monday, though it's too early to tell what, if any, impact there will be in the Baltimore area. Accuweather lays out the early potential here , with some parts of Maryland possibly getting a wintry mix or heavy rain.

A winter weather advisory that had been in effect in parts of central Maryland was cancelled by the National Weather Service early Monday, as dry air is expected to limit the amount of precipitation in the area. The advisory had been in effect through Monday evening in Montgomery and Howard counties. A light snow is still possible in the morning, though accumulation is not expected, and rain or sleet are likely, the weather service said. Temperatures will likely remain in the upper 30s. A winter storm warning remains in effect in Western Maryland, with four-to-six inches of snow possible at higher elevations and two-to-four inches in the valleys, the weather service said.

Football season's over and baseball spring training games often don't rise to the level being topic for casual conversation, so last week's big snow that wasn't quickly became fodder for plenty of commentary at many levels. A major target when stormy weather hits is the leadership of the local public school system, which made the call before 6 a.m. to close schools last Wednesday, thus keeping buses packed with children off potentially dangerous roads. It was an understandable call.

Despite getting a negligible amount of snow from last week's predicted "big one," Harford County's Highways Division still racked up $109,000 in salt, overtime and other storm-related costs, mostly from work done along the county's northern tier. The Wednesday, March 6, snow event, "the big one that didn't happen," in the words of county spokesman Bob Thomas, cost the county $109,668 for DPW highways personnel to treat the roads and plow snow, mostly in the Norrisville area. According to Thomas, 159 personnel worked the event, with most reporting to work at 3:30 a.m. on March 6 and being released at 5 that afternoon.