A Winter Storm Warning is in effect through 7pm Wednesday for the entire region.  There is the potential for 8 to 14 inches of snow across the region, with highest amounts (Approx. 15"+) closer to Howard County and points north and east, and lesser amounts (Approx. 4" to 8") well south of the region through St. Mary's county in Maryland as well as Stafford County in Virginia and points south.  A map of the predicted snow accumulations is on our website.

Snow has already started to fall across the region, with a couple inches reported in the far western suburbs of Hagerstown, MD and Cross Junction, VA.  A bit of a mix is expected the farther south you are in the viewing area.  Light rain has been reported in Fredericksburg, VA as well as PAX River NAS in St. Mary's County in Maryland.  This should continue through the early overnight hours before a changeover to all snow occurs after midnight once the low begins to crank over the Atlantic.  We are still thinking the most dangerous time to be out will be between 4am and 2pm Wednesday.

Snow will be moderate to heavy through the overnight hours, and will continue through the day on Wednesday.  Winds will increase through the day on Wednesday as well, gusting up to 45 mph making travel nearly impossible.  Snow should finally come to an end Wednesday evening.

Major concerns will with the added snowfall combined with the stronger winds will be downed trees and branches and therefore more power outages.  This in combination with the current snow-pack will have the potential for more roofs to collapse.  While you can, be sure to go out and get added supplies such as flashlights and batteries, extra water and non-perishable food.  This is a major storm and we want you and your family to stay as safe as possible through the next couple of days.

For the end of the week, skies clear with continued cold highs in the mid 30s. The pattern should remain calm through the weekend allowing everyone to get back to a normal semblance of day to day living. As always, stay tuned to ABC 7 and www.wjla.com/weather for the latest updates. If you must travel around today, catch our updated forecasts every 10 minutes on WTOP-FM.

For proper snowfall measurement guidelines, please go here... http://cfc.wjla.com/external.cfm?p=snowmeasure&h=0