MARYLAND — Weather forecasters are monitoring the possibility of a winter storm this upcoming weekend, which would mark the first major snow of 2024 in Maryland.
Much of the northeastern U.S. could see the first major snowstorm of the year. AccuWeather expects the storm to reach the central and southern Appalachians and parts of mid-Atlantic and southern New England late Saturday.
The impact on the I-95 corridor in the Baltimore area "will depend on the track and strength of the storm," AccuWeather meteorologists said.
"There is a chance that accumulating snow can fall all the way to the Atlantic coast from this storm in the Northeast, depending on if cold air holds its ground to the north and the storm takes a track slightly more to the southeast, rather than right along the coast," said Brandon Buckingham, a meteorologist for AccuWeather.
It's been 702 days since Baltimore received 1 inch of snow as of Dec. 31, 2023, according to AccuWeather, as the last measurable snowfall was on Jan. 28, 2022.
In Maryland, the most likely area for significant snowfall accumulations will be along and northwest of I-95, with even better chances the farther north and west you go from the Baltimore Beltway.
For example, Carroll County and Frederick County have the potential for accumulations over 5 inches of snow, while closer to Baltimore, the potential snow totals will drop off significantly, WJZ News reported Wednesday.
"It is still way too early for specific impacts, but parts of the area could see over an 1 inch of rain and areas north and west of Baltimore could see up to 10 inches of snow with I-95 serving as the dividing line," WJZ said.
The Eastern Shore may see some snow Saturday afternoon, but it is expected to quickly change to rain and stay that way for the remainder of the storm.
The Capital Weather Gang predicts that a combination of rain, snow and possibly sleet is likely late Saturday morning into Saturday night.
"Precipitation should end by Sunday morning, leaving behind partly to mostly cloudy skies and an occasionally gusty breeze with highs in the 40s," the Capital Weather Gang said.
Here is a look at the forecast for Maryland through the weekend from the National Weather Service:
Thursday: A slight chance of rain showers, mixing with snow after 10am, then gradually ending. Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. Northwest wind 7 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Thursday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. Northwest wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Friday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28.
Saturday: Snow likely before 1pm, then rain and snow. High near 38. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent.
Saturday night: Rain, mainly before 1 a.m. Low around 32. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.
Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 42.
Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43.