Accuweather

Stop us if you've heard this one before: Significant snow will fall here starting tonight. That's also what AccuWeather predicted Sunday: As much as 3 inches of powdery snow would hit Washington County either Monday night or Tuesday morning. Instead, the area received trace amounts of snow, which did not accumulate. AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Lasorsa said Tuesday that the storm moved farther south than expected and the air was too dry. This time, AccuWeather is calling for 3 to 6 inches overnight.

The Hagerstown area could receive as much as four-plus inches of snow and another half-inch or more of freezing rain over the next two days, according to AccuWeather.com. A winter storm watch is in effect from Tuesday evening through Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service announced this morning. AccuWeather predicts a coating to up to an inch of snow late Monday night, with a low temperature of 20 degrees. On Tuesday, AccuWeather forecasts a coating to up to an inch of snow during the day, with a high of 30. On Tuesday night, the forecast calls for 1 to 3 inches of snow mixed with, then changing to, sleet and freezing rain, with a low of 27. On Wednesday, an icy mix is forecast for the morning and afternoon, totaling from a trace to 1 inch, according to AccuWeather.

TRI-STATE-The Tri-State area probably won't bear the brunt of a winter storm this weekend, said Dave Houk, an AccuWeather meteorologist. Snow from Sunday's storm likely will fall north into the mountains and northeastern Pennsylvania, where temperatures are expected to be colder, Houk said. "I think the major threat (in the Tri-State area) is wind and rain. " he said. AccuWeather predicts that rain will begin today in the Tri-State area and last until Sunday night. Temperatures could reach 54 degrees today and dip to a low of 40, according to AccuWeather.

The Tri-State area probably won't bear the brunt of a winter storm this weekend, said Dave Houk, an AccuWeather meteorologist. Snow from Sunday's storm likely will fall north into the mountains and northeastern Pennsylvania, where temperatures are expected to be colder, Houk said. "I think the major threat (in the Tri-State area) is wind and rain. " he said. AccuWeather predicts that rain will begin today in the Tri-State area and last until Sunday night. Temperatures could reach 54 degrees today and dip to a low of 40, according to AccuWeather.

HAGERSTOWN karenh@herald-mail.com The shirt sleeves and flower blooms were out of season, but in tune with the temperature. January was one of the warmest on record, according to a local weather observer, AccuWeather and the National Weather Service. For January, normally "the king of winter," temperatures were extremely mild, AccuWeather expert senior meteorologist Dave Dombeck said. "I don't have any specific records for Hagerstown, but there were tons of records broken from the plains states to the East Coast," Dombeck said.

TRI-STATE - Tropical Storm Ernesto did not cause the widespread flooding that emergency management officials feared, but it did leave a drenching rain in its path that was the equivalent of about of a month's worth of precipitation in about 24 hours. The heavy overnight rains tapered off Saturday morning and had moved out by the afternoon. The National Weather Service on Thursday was predicting up to 6 inches of rain or more, and disaster declarations were issued for 13 counties in West Virginia and all 67 counties in Pennsylvania by the governors of those two states.

A Hagerstown weather observer reported that Thursday morning's low temperature hit minus 3 degrees, breaking a record set in 1960. Greg Keefer reported on his site, i4weather.net, the temperature dropped to minus 3 degrees at 6:16 a.m. The record low for March 8 had been 2 degrees, according to the site. The National Weather Service in Sterling, Va., and AccuWeather said they didn't have the information to track temperature records for Hagerstown. AccuWeather reported a low of 8 degrees, while Calvin Meadows, a hydrometeorological technician with the National Weather Service in Sterling, said the low temperature was 11 degrees.

HAGERSTOWN Area residents can expect to deal with colder than average temperatures, maybe for as long as the next two weeks, an AccuWeather meteorologist said Thursday. Temperatures will be the coldest through Monday and could prove problematic for area gardeners. "Any flower that's fully open will be damaged by the cold they are calling for," said Jon Snavely, owner of Snavely's Garden Corner in Hagerstown, referring to temperatures predicted to be below freezing for the next several nights.

HAGERSTOWN - Easter Sunday was colder than Christmas Day, according to a Hagerstown weather observer. Sunday's temperature hit a high of 38.6 degrees just after 3:30 p.m., and the low was 25.6 degrees, according to i4weather.net, which is maintained by Greg Keefer. Fruit grower Donald Harding said Sunday was the coldest in a recent string of return-to-winter days. So far, his peach trees, which already are in bloom, seem to be weathering the arctic blast. "I don't see a lot of damage at this point, but it just can't keep going," said Harding, who owns Harding's Orchards in Smithsburg.

Rain that started early Thursday dropped 0.28 inches of precipitation on the Hagerstown area, an AccuWeather meteorologist said Thursday afternoon. Today's weather is expected to be mild and clear, with temperatures reaching into the mid-40s, senior meteorologist Bob Smerbeck said. Snow is expected by Saturday afternoon, with between 1 and 3 inches of accumulation expected, he said. The snow is expected to turn to ice and freezing rain Saturday night, Smerbeck said. Snow also is possible Sunday morning, which is expected to be breezy.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- There aren't a lot of hot, steamy days in the summer forecast for Washington County residents this year, an AccuWeather meteorologist said. "Our long-range forecasters are looking at limited potential for longtime heat waves," AccuWeather meteorologist Carl Erickson said last week. Summer officially begins Sunday at 1:45 a.m. and ends Sept. 22 at 5:18 p.m. The summer solstice, which usually is June 20 or 21, is the longest day and shortest night of the year.

HAGERSTOWN -- With temperatures in the 90s for the third straight day, snow cones and sodas were the most popular choices Monday afternoon at the snack bar in City Park. Teresa Connolly of Hagerstown and her grandson were eating snow cones with some friends at a picnic table in the park. "I'm truly enjoying this," Connolly said of the weather as she fed 2-year-old Caidan Baker the frozen treat. Connolly said she spent time with family at Hersheypark in Pennsylvania and on the river this weekend.

The Hagerstown area could receive as much as four-plus inches of snow and another half-inch or more of freezing rain over the next two days, according to AccuWeather.com. A winter storm watch is in effect from Tuesday evening through Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service announced this morning. AccuWeather predicts a coating to up to an inch of snow late Monday night, with a low temperature of 20 degrees. On Tuesday, AccuWeather forecasts a coating to up to an inch of snow during the day, with a high of 30. On Tuesday night, the forecast calls for 1 to 3 inches of snow mixed with, then changing to, sleet and freezing rain, with a low of 27. On Wednesday, an icy mix is forecast for the morning and afternoon, totaling from a trace to 1 inch, according to AccuWeather.

HAGERSTOWN - Children filled Hagerstown's playgrounds and ball fields Friday afternoon - a sure sign that summer has arrived. Spring officially ended Friday at 7:59 p.m., making today the first full day of summer. The area's recent cool-weather pattern soon will ease, and temperatures will climb closer to normal summer highs, Tom Kines, an AccuWeather meteorologist, said Friday. The area normally sees high temperatures in the mid-80s and low temperatures in the mid-60s in July, Kines said.

HAGERSTOWN -- Children filled Hagerstown's playgrounds and ball fields Friday afternoon - a sure sign that summer has arrived. Spring officially ended Friday at 7:59 p.m., making today the first full day of summer. The area's recent cool-weather pattern soon will ease, and temperatures will climb closer to normal summer highs, Tom Kines, an AccuWeather meteorologist, said Friday. The area normally sees high temperatures in the mid-80s and low temperatures in the mid-60s in July, Kines said.

HAGERSTOWN -- With near record-breaking temperatures and a heat advisory in effect Monday, local residents and outdoor workers were finding ways to maintain their cool while battling the elements outdoors. According to local weather observer Greg Keefer's Web site, Monday's high - 95.8 degrees at 3:36 p.m. - missed breaking the record for June 9 by slightly more than 2 degrees. The record high of 98 degrees was set in 1933. Those who had to be outside Monday dealt with a heat index that made it feel like it was 105 degrees at one point in the afternoon.

The heat wave that has consumed the Tri-State area led to a record-tying high temperature on Saturday in Hagerstown, according to www.i4weather.net , a Web site maintained by Hagerstown weather observer Greg Keefer. The temperature reached 95 degrees shortly before 4 p.m., tying the record for the date set in 1999, according to Keefer's Web site. The weather is expected to remain hot today and Monday, with highs expected in the mid-90s each day and heat indexes into the triple digits, said Jon Pacheco, an AccuWeather meteorologist based in State College, Pa. The stifling heat is being caused by high humidity.

The heat wave that has consumed the Tri-State area led to a record-tying high temperature on Saturday in Hagerstown, according to www.i4weather.net , a Web site maintained by Hagerstown weather observer Greg Keefer. The temperature reached 95 degrees shortly before 4 p.m., tying the record for the date set in 1999, according to Keefer's Web site. The weather is expected to remain hot today and Monday, with highs expected in the mid-90s each day and heat indexes into the triple digits, said Jon Pacheco, an AccuWeather meteorologist based in State College, Pa. The stifling heat is being caused by high humidity.

HAGERSTOWN -- Today is the first day of spring, a season that ushers in baseball and outdoor activities. It follows a winter in which only 12 inches of snow fell from October to February in the Hagerstown area. The winter's snowfall was mild compared with previous ones, according to www.i4weather.net , a Web site operated by local weather observer Greg Keefer. About 23.6 inches of snow fell in 2006-07, 14.4 inches fell in 2005-06 and 20.6 inches fell in 2004-05. At Municipal Stadium, the home of the Hagerstown Suns, the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals professional baseball team, things are just about ready for the 2008 season, Suns General Manager Will Smith said.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- An ice storm that swept through the area late Tuesday into Wednesday closed local schools, and police in West Virginia believe icy road conditions contributed to a head-on collision Wednesday morning that left four men dead. There was a mix of ice and snow on U.S. 340, and it was raining when a van collided head-on with a tractor-trailer near Chestnut Hill Road, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. No more precipitation is expected in the area until Sunday, forecasters said.