Many people are already focused on spring, but winter isn’t over yet.

A storm’s on the way, but not Monday. We had lots of sunshine along with the gusty northwest wind that kept temperatures down in the low 40s for highs. Our average climbs to 50 degrees. The chill will hang around Monday as clouds take over and the winter storm moves our way – one that Capital Weather Gang is terming the “Snowquester.”

Here’s how the storm breaks down:
-It arrives as a rain/snow mix Tuesday evening, between 5-8 p.m.
-The peak of the storm will be OVERNIGHT TUESDAY into the first half of WEDNESDAY. That’s our best chance at accumulating snow, mixed with sleet and even rain. It will come down heavy at times, with the winds really picking up.
-There will still be spots of rain and snow WEDNESDAY NIGHT into THURSDAY MORNING, but the storm will be winding down at this point.

This is a dynamic storm with a lot of moisture. When it comes down heavy enough, snow will win out and it will accumulate. However, temperatures will be close to 32 degrees during a lot of the storm, so rain and sleet will limit snowfall accumulation amounts. We are still expecting accumulations of 6-12″ starting north and west of the city, with the higher amounts in the mountains; 3-6″ around the I-95 corridor; 1-3″ for a lot of the Eastern Shore and southern Maryland; then only a mix along the lower Eastern Shore…but with high winds, coastal flooding and beach erosion.

Overall, this is going to be a messy storm Tuesday night through Wednesday. But any accumulations that do happen will not stick around long because temperatures will be back in the 40s Thursday, near 50 by the weekend, and the March sun is stronger with days featuring more sunlight over the heart of winter.