The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning from 11pm Saturday through 4am Monday. Forecasters say a combination of heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain, and bitter cold will create dangerous conditions that could linger well into next week.
The latest official snowfall forecast from the NWS shows a sharp gradient across the region. Areas closer to Washington, including Bethesda and Silver Spring, are projected to receive around 8 inches of snow, while locations farther north and west, including Damascus and areas closer to Frederick, are forecast closer to 13 inches. The higher end snowfall scenario (map below) shows a 10 percent chance of 10 to 16 inches across much of the area, while the low end scenario (map below) suggests 4 to 6 inches regionwide.
Snow is expected to overspread the region late Saturday night and become heavy at times overnight, with snowfall rates potentially reaching one to two inches per hour. All areas are expected to start as snow for the first several hours before mixing becomes a factor early Sunday morning. Forecasters expect sleet to mix in first across Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley between then spread northward toward the DC metro area between later in the morning. Freezing rain is expected to develop later Sunday, especially south of Highway 50, and may reach major corridors including I-66, Route 7, and I-95 by Sunday afternoon…