SNOW UPDATE ❄️: Good (late) evening everyone! Who wants more snow? The work week started out with snow and it still looks like it will close with even more.

​We are still on track for significant snow Thursday evening into Friday! The only thing that has changed is that this event seems to be sharing the same accumulation numbers across the state. A widespread 2-4 inches of snow with areas pushing 5-6”+ Pretty much the entire state is under a winter weather advisory.

FROM THE NWS:

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THURSDAY TO 5 AM FRIDAY

WHAT: Snow. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches. Isolated high amounts of around 5 inches are possible.

WHERE.: The District of Columbia, portions of central, north central, northeast, northern and southern Maryland and northern Virginia.

WHEN: From 9 PM Thursday to 5 AM EST Friday.

IMPACTS: Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Friday morning commute.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS.: The heaviest snow is expected between 10 PM and 2 AM when snowfall rates of 1 inch per hour are possible.

What a way to start out the year! I am thinking there will be widespread closings on Friday! Perhaps we will be able to throw out the coveted 5 SNOWBALLS??? Check in tomorrow.

I will continue to monitor the data overnight and in the morning, but right now …. things are looking GOOD!!! 😁👍

Stay tuned and #followthesnowman ☃️

SNOW UPDATE ❄️:  Good evening everyone.  What a week.  A lot going on ... on many fronts ... for many people.  Mother nature wants to keep things even more interesting in terms of winter weather.  Many things on the "radar" (both literally and figuratively) for the tail end of our work week.

Before I continue ... you guys made me break GOOGLE!  LOL  The Snowman Community's Official Gmail account has been "flagged for suspicious activity" and locked! 🤪. Apparently too many people have signed up for the SUEAS (Snow Update Emergency Alert System).  The mailing list is apparently too big for their service.   I will have to figure out how to get it reverified ... so the email alerts are temporarily "out of service." 😟  If you want to stay connected ... simply bookmark this page in the meantime.  I hope to figure this out quickly.

First lets address this evening.  It looks like the southeastern portions of the state could possibly see a "light glaze of ice from freezing rain."

Here is what we might expect according to the NWS:
WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
LOCATIONS AFFECTED: Cecil, Southern Baltimore, Prince Georges, Anne Arundel, Charles, St. Marys, Calvert, Southeast Harford
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 9 AM EST
WHEN: WEDNESDAY
WHAT:  A light glaze of ice from freezing rain.
WHERE: Portions of central, northeastern and southernMaryland
WHEN:  From 4 AM to 9 AM EST Wednesday
IMPACTS: The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute.

NOW ... ONTO THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY 😁

The weather models are more or less showing "significant" snow Thursday night into Friday.  This system will be more typical of what we are used to in MD.  More snow in the north and less in the south ... quite different than the system we experienced at the beginning of the week.  We are still a couple days out, but it looks like we have a chance of seeing a widespread 3-4" of snow across the northern portions of the state and a bit less, 2-3" inches across the southern portion.  Will a 3-day weekend be in the future for some?  We shall see. 👀

IN RELATED NEWS ...
Check out this satellite photo that has been floating around social media (from Sunday into Monday's system).  You can see the sharp cutoff line of where the snow literally "stopped" across the northern part of the state. 😯

SNOW ON THE BEACH ...
Always fun to see OC covered in snow.  Photo credit: Chris Parypa.  If you haven't seen his Ocean City Photography, it doesn't disappoint.  

Stay tuned and #followthesnowman ⛄️

Space for this page provided by Maryland musician and artist, Matthew C. Shuman. Stop on in and find out more: The Music and Art of Matthew C. Shuman. Visit his BLOG. If you are a fan of solo piano music stream it free, below.  He's approaching 5,000,000 streams across all digital platforms.  
PANDORA     SPOTIFY     APPLE MUSIC     AMAZON
Here is one of his more popular pieces "Chasing the Wind."  Featured on The Weather Channel during the coverage of Hurricane Sandy many years back.

SNOW UPDATE and MD SCHOOL STATUS SNOWBALL PREDICTION (for Tues. Jan. 4, 2022):  Good afternoon everyone!  I am sitting here at TSH (The Snowman Headquarters in Westminster, MD) looking out the window at grass (that is actually quite green looking for this time of the year).  Yes, grass.  No snow.  Besides a bit of snow during the early morning hours that briefly coated the trusty Tacoma and deck, that was about it for TSH.

Meanwhile, just a bit further south ... many MD locations easily hit a half a foot to almost a foot or more in some spots.  I have been doing this a long time and I can't remember the last time that has happened.  I know quite a few teachers are part of the snowman community.  You might have found yourself without snow, but the school district you commute to received quite a bit and was closed.  

I have heard from many of you regarding accumulation.  Some impressive numbers came in for some of the following locations.  You can see how just a little distance made a big difference in accumulation.

Damascus: 2.5"
Edgewater:  11"
Bowie: 9"
Wheaton: 6"
Olney: 4"
​Gaithersburg: 3.5"

The system has left the area but now we are left with another concern ... a deep freeze.  Temperatures are expected to plummet this evening.  Anything that is currently wet and untreated will no doubt freeze.  Take a look at this low temperature forecast graphic from the NWS.

Because of the expected drop in temperature and the possibility of a hard freeze ... I think a few snowballs might be necessary for the reporting areas impacted (MCPS and HCPSS, unfortunately no snowballs for CCPS or FCPS 🙁).  Hmm ... Let's go with 3!!!  A delay will probably be likely, but don't be surprised if they decide to close depending on the severity of the untreated surfaces.
Here come 3 SNOWBALLS your way!!! 

#MARYLAND SCHOOL STATUS DELAY/CLOSURE SNOWBALL SCALE
1 Snowball = Slight chance of a delay, but most likely opening on time.
2 Snowballs = 50% chance of a delay and ever so slight chance of a closing.
3 Snowballs = It could go either way. Probably at least a delay, but a closure isn't off the table either.
4 Snowballs = A delay is pretty much inevitable. There is also a 60% chance of a closure.
5 Snowballs = Guaranteed delay. You can also party, because schools will almost certainly be closed.
(*School Status Predictions are for #FCPS, #CCPS, #MCPS, #HCPSS and surrounding counties)

The SUEAS (Snow Update Email Alert System) is growing almost too fast to keep up with.  I believe the list is fully up to date as of this afternoon.  Welcome to all the new members of The Snowman Community! :). Simply enter your email address in the "NOTIFY" box at the top of the page.
​
Stay tuned and #followthesnowman ☃️

MD SCHOOL STATUS SNOWBALL PREDICTION (for Monday, January 3, 2022) ⏰ :  

Let's get the SNOWBALLS rolling!  We haven't been able to do this for a LOOOONG time.

Data suggests that potential accumulation continues to rise.  Unless some huge course correction takes place (it is always possible ... tis Maryland after all) there is a strong likelihood schools will close tomorrow for much of central and southern MD and perhaps even northern MD.  There is a sharp line the closer we get to the north where the accumulation appears to drop.  This line runs right through MCPS, HCPS, CCPS, FCPS (the reporting area for The Snowman Community's snowball prediction).  Because of this rarity ... two sets of snowballs are being thrown.

Based on past school district announcements ... it is likely schools will either close preemptively tonight (if the data holds)  or start out with a delay and reevaluate for a closing when more data/observations are available.  Time will tell, but for now ... LOOKOUT!  Here come the snowballs!!! 😁

Stay tuned and #followthesnowman ⛄️

FOR MCPS and HCPS:  4/5 SNOWBALLS!!!

MID-AFTERNOON SNOW UPDATE ❄️:  Things are changing quickly with this (somewhat of a surprise 😯) system!  Enough for a mid-afternoon snow update! 😁  Potential impact appears to be shifting northward.  Along with this shift it also appears as though we could be seeing increased accumulation.  Most of central and southern MD are now under a winter storm warning, while northern MD is now under a winter weather advisory.  

Here is what things look like at the moment with this latest update.
_________________________________________________
🚨 According to the NWS for central MD and points south:
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 4 PM EST MONDAY
WHAT:  Heavy snow. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 7 inches. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph.
WHERE:  .The District of Columbia, portions of central Maryland and northern Virginia.
WHEN: .From 1 AM to 4 PM EST Monday.
IMPACTS:  Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous.conditions could impact both the morning or evening commutes.

🚨 According to the NWS for northern MD
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 1 PM EST MONDAY
WHAT:  Snow. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches.
WHERE:  Portions of north central, northeast and northern Maryland, northwest Virginia and panhandle West Virginia.
WHEN:  From 1 AM to 1 PM EST Monday.
IMPACTS: Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute.
__________________________________________________
​
​Northern points in MD won't be left out, but may be surprised to receive a bit less than the rest of the state.  A flip flop for what we typically see in our state.  I am waiting for just a bit more data to come in, but expect a MD SCHOOL STATUS SNOWBALL PREDICTION soon. 😄👍.  Perhaps there may be delays ... or possibly even a little extension to many winter breaks.

Stay tuned and #followingthesnowman ⛄️

Space for this page provided by MD musician and artist, Matthew C. Shuman.  Check out some of his latest pictures from a recent visit to Longwood Gardens Light Show.  See all of his work ---> here.  

SNOW UPDATE ❄️:  Good morning everyone!  Happy 2022!  Watching a quickly developing system that is actually a little bit of a surprise.  At the moment it appears as though southern MD and the coast will be impacted the most (unusual for our state).  The models are currently hinting that it may track more north in the state, so we will have to keep a close eye on this system throughout the day.  

Here is a recent statement from the NWS:
________________________________________​
​URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
846 AM EST Sun Jan 2 2022

Areas impacted:  Southern Baltimore, Northwest Montgomery, 
Central and Southeast Montgomery, Northwest Howard,
Central and Southeast Howard, Western Loudoun, Eastern Loudoun
846 AM EST Sun Jan 2 2022
.WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY
AFTERNOON
WHAT:  Heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 
  inches possible. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph.
WHERE:  Portions of central and northern Maryland and northern Virginia.
WHEN:  From late tonight through Monday afternoon.
IMPACTS:  Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute.

The temperatures have been relatively mild over the past many days (currently 53 degrees at TSH) so it may be difficult for snow to stick, however the expected strong cold front will quickly cool things off.  

I will continue to monitor this system throughout the day and chime back in soon.  In the meantime, have a great Sunday!  

Perhaps we can throw some of the first snowball predictions of the season for school delay/closures???

Stay tuned and #followthesnowman ⛄️

#MARYLAND DELAY/CLOSURE SNOWBALL SCALE
1 Snowball = Slight chance of a delay, but most likely opening on time.
2 Snowballs = 50% chance of a delay and ever so slight chance of a closing.
3 Snowballs = It could go either way. Probably at least a delay, but a closure isn't off the table either.
4 Snowballs = A delay is pretty much inevitable. There is also a 60% chance of a closure.
5 Snowballs = Guaranteed delay. You can also party, because schools will almost certainly be closed.
(*School Status Predictions and weather reporting area are for #FCPS, #CCPS, #MCPS, #HCPS and surrounding counties)

Space for this page provided by MD musician and artist, Matthew C. Shuman.  Check out some of his latest pencil art commissions for the 2021 Holiday Season.  See all of his pencil art ---> here.  Contact him for more information if you are interested in having something commissioned: Matthew.shuman@comcast.net