real

3 to 8 inches over two days is rather under-whelming, especially for us in the city and close-in suburbs. You really need to have consistent snow and at least some good rates to keep more than you lose due to melting, etc, Yes, it will look nice seeing flakes falling. But 3 or 4 inches over 2 days in the city will be almost as much annoyance as it is joy.

Yes. Baltimore City flipped to sleet like 8 p.m. that night during PDII, and it sleeted till dawn, when it briefly flipped back to heavy snow. Had it stayed all snow, which I think it did as close as Reistertown area, Baltimore City would have easily eclipsed 3 feet from that storm.

One thing that has also changed, due to Internet access and better modeling, etc, is forecasters in DC region used to be extremely skeptical of ever saying more than a foot of snow was possible, until literally a day before hand. Even PD11, I think it was well into Friday (before a storm that hit Saturday night), that most common folks even had any idea that a major storm of more than 6 to 8 inches was coming. The legacy and trauma of being burnt bad on the big 2000 East Coast bust was real and long-lasting.

I don't recall that, but perhaps no one seriously believed it, because it was still mid-December (and was hesitant to believe we could get a record December snowfall). Also by that point it had been 6 years since we had a big storm DC, so people may have just been extremely skeptical it was possible.

The only major DC snowstorm of past 15 years or so that I recall being not well-modeled ahead of time and kind of sneaking up on us, was the December 2009 storm. I recall even on the Thursday on the day before the storm, the morning forecasts were still for maybe 4 to 8 inches. And by afternoon, it was looking like 8 to 12 inches. And then that the evening, less than 24 hours before the snow started, forecasts started hinting at a foot plus

I agree. Even two years ago, DC had a snowstorm that lasted 2 days, and dropped a foot from Saturday morning through Sunday evening. It was a great storm, but I imagine most people don't even remember it, because it was easy to forget. And that stayed all snow, for two days, but I think because there was a lull, there was considerable melting during the lull, especially in the city.

I think in Washington DC proper, it's this... Maybe a tad different in Baltimore and suburbs north and west SECS -- 4 to 12 MECS -- 12 to 18 HECS 18 to 30 BECS 30 Plus

Just flipped to predominately light snow in Shaw DC

mostly rain in DC, but a few pingers can be heard sporadically.

We have had ice events. I've even seen non-salted downtown DC sidewalks covered in ice at times, including one storm a few years ago that started in the evening and persisted into the next afternoon. What i have never seen, and which the media almost always over hypes beforehand, is an ice event that actually results in ice-covered streets, except for perhaps some side streets in far Upper Northwest DC

Kind of odd how many people have told me in past few days -- ranging from friends to the grocery clerk -- that "I hear a snowstorm is coming for Christmas" or "I hear we are going to have a White Christmas".... Who is spreading this? And based off what this far ahead of time? That frontal passage??? I haven't watched local weather, but are they really already saying this? If so, seems like somebody is setting people up for a possible big disappointment. ...

Heavy Snow/Sleet mix in Downtown DC, but in last few minutes sleets seems to be winning out. Big ice pellets. But all streets covered in white now

After a brief lull, Moderate snow in Downtown DC. Even heavily traveled, salted, roads turning slushy.

Still seems to be all snow in Downtown DC. -- Officially a car topper event but not sticking to pavement.

Already seems to be more sleet pellets than flurries falling in downtown Washington DC

Flurries, borderline Light Snow, in Downtown Washington DC

The gradient even within the inner and outer (if-they-formally existed) Beltways could also be interesting. But frankly, in all my years of living in Washington, there have not been a lot of times where I lived downtown and was super jealous because someone in middle or lower Montgomery County or Fairfax County got a lot more snow than I did. There was a big storm around 2004 where DC got like 4 inches of snow and Columbia in Howard County got like 24 inches. There was also that March bust storm a few years ago where DC got almost nothing while parts of Fairfax may have gotten 6 inches. But those seem rather rare, lately, in part because may the suburbs are becoming denser and warmer too. DC versus upper Montgomery/Frederick/Carroll/Loudoun/Northern Baltimore County is a different situation.

I agree. For anyone who lives near the city, March snows are just blah. No, I am not going to rehash the sun angle debate, but I also prefer snow that covers the streets for at least day or so, doesn’t melt from lawns the next day, and doesn’t lead to even more stress than usual given higher potential for major busts, as was case in that big March bust in 2013.

Light sleet has now transitioned to mostly light rain downtown DC

Steady flurries downtown dc

Dusting but still Busting downtown DC. But think this might be the biggest dusting so far In this tragic winter here, since colder this time than during the two previous bursts of flurries....

I think the really bad commute was January 2011, when about 5 inches of snow fell from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., on a day when I don't think there was an OPM early dismissal

Prince William Schools closed tomorrow — lol

Officially a Car topper in downtown DC. But Streets and sidewalk just wet

New York City itself busted hard. Upton was forecasting 7; looks like city got 2 to 4.