Weather: Snowquester?!? Early Forecasts Say Loudoun Could Get 10+ Inches of Snow Wednesday

(March 4, 2013) - You might want to put out an APB on your snow shovel -- which may have not been used in two years in parts of Loudoun -- as early forecasts are calling for the possibility of 10+ inches of snow on Wednesday.

Of course, forecasts have been wrong all winter with less than two inches total hitting the ground this dry season but the Capital Weather Gang at WashingtonPost.com has posted a snowfall change for the western suburbs that calls for a 95 percent chance of some snow; 80 percent chance of 5 inches or more; and a 50-50 chance that we could have 10+ inches which would be double the amount of snow total we have gotten this winter and last winter combined.

At 12:41 p.m. Monday the National Weather Service issues a Winter Storm Alert for Loudoun with "more than 5 inches possible ... with the potential for more than a foot somewhere within the watch area". More on the alert:

.. WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING...

* PRECIPITATION TYPE... SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS... MORE THAN 5 INCHES POSSIBLE... WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE THAN A FOOT SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA.

* TIMING... PRECIPITATION MIXING WITH AND CHANGING TO SNOW TUESDAY NIGHT. SNOW CONTINUING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING.

* TEMPERATURES... IN THE LOWER AND MID 30S.

* WINDS... NORTHEAST 10 TO 20 MPH TUESDAY NIGHT... BECOMING NORTH WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH WEDNESDAY WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.

* IMPACTS... DIFFICULT DRIVING CONDITIONS. HEAVY WET SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS COULD LEAD TO POWER OUTAGES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS

Areas affected:

District of Columbia, DC;  Washington, MD;  Frederick, MD;  Carroll, MD;  Northern Baltimore, MD;  Harford, MD;  Montgomery, MD;  Howard, MD;  Southern Baltimore, MD;  Prince Georges, MD;  Anne Arundel, MD; Extreme Western Allegany, MD;  Central and Eastern Allegany, MD;  Frederick, VA;  Warren, VA;  Clarke, VA; Nelson, VA;  Albemarle, VA;  Greene, VA;  Madison, VA;  Rappahannock, VA;  Loudoun, VA;  Orange, VA; Culpeper, VA;  Prince William/Manassas/Manassas Park, VA;  Fairfax, VA;  Arlington/Falls Church/Alexandria, VA;  Stafford, VA;  Spotsylvania, VA;  Northern Fauquier, VA;  Southern Fauquier, VA;  Hampshire, WV; Morgan, WV;  Berkeley, WV;  Jefferson, WV;  Western Mineral, WV;  Eastern Mineral, WV