Weatherman Accountability...

I hope this post finds everyone safe and warm at home. It's messy out there, and getting messier, so it's best to stay in.

Rather than go on (and on) about the dynamics of this storm (my wife and co-workers are already bored with my long-winded meteorology discussions), I'll cut right to the chase. There's enough snow and sleet to put my sled (and snowboard?) to use for at least a couple hours, and that's clearly what I'd like to be doing more than writing.

Although I'll run-down all the local forecasts, it's really not necessary. Most stations are calling for the same thing: 1" - 2" of snow, then sleet, then ice overnight (possibly changing to plain rain at some point). There's going to be a lot of moisture with this storm, and if we stay below freezing at the surface, we could have a crippling ice storm.

As always, the forecast information was taken during the 11 pm newscasts last night, the best and last call before the storm actually hit.

Washington, DC Stations:

• WUSA-TV (Channel 9, Topper Shutt and company): 1" - 2" of snow, then sleet/freezing rain
  

• WRC (Channel 4, Bob Ryan and the gang): 2" - 4" then sleet, which is a little higher than others
  

• WJLA (Channel 7, Doug Hill and friends): Trace - 2", sleet, freezing rain (no graphic)

• Fox Channel 5 (Sue Palka): 1" - 2" snow, then ice and all rain by Wednesday morning (no graphic)

• CapitalWeather.com: 1" - 2"/2" -4", sleet, freezing rain
  

Baltimore Stations:

• WJZ (Channel 13, Bob Turk and Marty Bass): 1" - 2"/2" - 5", up to 1/2" of ice
  

• WBAL (Channel 11, Tommy T.): 2" - 3", then ice and finally rain
  

• WMAR (Channel 2, Norm Lewis): Mostly ice -- he didn't mention any snowfall amounts (no graphic)

• WBFF (Channel 45, ?): "Major Ice Storm," 1" - 3" snow, then lotsa ice (no graphic)

National Forecast Outlets:

• National Weather Service: 1" snow, 1/2" ice, possibly plain rain on Wednesday
• Accuweather: 2" - 4", then sleet, then 1" of ice (wow!)
• The Weather Channel: 1" - 2", then ice and plain rain tonight and tomorrow

As you can see, there is little variability in the forecasts. A few stations went marginally higher with their snow predictions, while only a few others ventured to give specific ice accumulations. At this point, it looks like either they will all be right or they will all be wrong, though we may be able to parse things enough to declare a winner.

Right now, on the Hayduke Weather Terrace, we have 1" of snow and sleet falling lightly. Feel free to share any weather updates in the comments.