COMING FRIDAY: Ready To Measure Snow In Feet Instead Of Inches?

John Matthews
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Back in the day, the shelves of the video stores would be barren by now.

The D.C. area is bracing for what could be a historic 3-day snow event, with heavy accumulation all but certain, and the strong possibility of it being measured in feet instead of inches in parts of the area.

Computer models used by meteorologists are in strong agreement that snow will move into the region on Friday – perhaps before Noon, and continue through Saturday before ending late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Areas to the south and east of I-95 could see rain and sleet move in, dampening the snowfall total, but areas to the far west towards the Blue Ridge could see totals push close to 3 feet.

The National Weather Service has yet to release an official accumulation forecast, but it did issue this statement Wednesday morning:

SNOW IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE REGION FROM THE SOUTHWEST LATE FRIDAY MORNING.
SNOW WILL MOVE NORTH AND EAST DURING THE DAY ON FRIDAY AS THE SURFACE LOW MOVES OVER GEORGIA AND HIGH PRESSURE GETS
PUSHED OUT TO SEA. SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY NIGHT AND WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES. ACCUMULATING SNOW IS EXPECTED AND MODEL
CONSENSUS SHOWS THE HIGHEST ACCUMULATION ACROSS THE MID-ATLANTIC.
AT THIS TIME…SNOW ACCUMULATION OF GREATER THAN A FOOT IS LIKELY
HOWEVER THERE ARE DETAILS THAT ARE UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME AND THEY
INCLUDE 1. WHERE THE NORTHERN FRINGE WILL BE 2. BANDING POTENTIAL 3.
MIXED PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL ALONG AND EAST OF I-95.

Total accumulation predictions vary according to each computer model, but all point to a snowfall of at least 15 inches, with some predicting 30 inches or more possible. The record 3-day snowfall for Washington, D.C. is 28 inches, which fell January 27 – 29, 1922. The record for Baltimore is 26.8 inches, which fell February 16 – 18, 2003. Out at Dulles, the Snowmageddon storm is the record holder – February 5 and 6 of 2010, when 32.4 inches of snow fell. For more details on the region’s snowfall records, click here.

Forecasters warn the start and end times of the storm, as well as total snowfall predictions will continue to change somewhat with the storm still two days away, but all remain confident we’re going to get whacked one way or another.

Getcha shovels ready.