It doesn't really matter much which way you go. If you want more snow out of this storm, you'll need to get on I-95 and head northeast. Or south. Or I-70 and west. Central Maryland appears to be in a bubble again.
If the AccuWeather.com forecast map below proves correct, we're in for 1 to 3 inches of snow west of the Chesapeake tomorrow and tomorrow night. The real heft with this storm is headed for cities up the line. Philadelphia would get 4 to 8, and snow-weary New York City, most of Southern New England, including Boston, are in for 6-12 inches.
That's because the twin systems churning across the country today are expected to merge, or "phase" to our north and east, intensifying the low over the Atlantic and sweeping more snow onshore just to our north and east.
If you decide to head south, AccuWeather forecasters would advise setting your GPS for western North Carolina, where they're expecting 3 to 6 inches.
Or, you could head west. Garrett County is under a Winter Storm Watch calling for 6 inches or more as the Plains component of this wintry episode moves in. Or just about any direction - even east.
Take your pick of winter wonderlands outside our protective bubble that AccuWeather.com says are due for 3 to 6": Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Erie, Buffalo, Scranton, Allentown, Reading, Wilmington, Dover, Charleston, Albany, Binghamton, Syracuse, Elmira, Rutland, Concord and Augusta.
Prof. Jeff Halverson, at UMBC, says this just isn't our snowstorm:
"We have two pieces of energy - one approaching from the Ohio Valley, the other working its way northeastward off Hatteras. Eventually, the energy will transfer to the coastal low, but that won;t happen anywhere near Baltimore.
"The system will be somewhat disorganized and in a transitional state as it transits our region. We'll be caught between two areas of low pressure, both competing for moisture and energy. For us, this is not the classic snowmaker scenario by any means."
One other thing: The student meteorologists at Foot's Forecast have issued their winter weather predictions, which are more or less in line with everyone else:
"A general 2-4" snowfall in the Baltimore-Washington area, with higher amounts farther east and south. Some isolated locations along the I-95 corridor may reach 5" while lesser amounts of 2-3" are expected from Northern Virginia to Frederick and Carroll Counties.
"East and north of I-95 from Cecil County, MD to the Bayshore; counties of Eastern MD and Delaware as well as eastern Pennsylvania are likely to reach NWS Winter Storm Warning criteria with amounts reaching or exceeding 5".
"We anticipate the maximum snow intensity may be reached around midnight across the region and could be falling at the rate of one inch per hour, and diminishing by daybreak. It is possible that a few flurries will remain until mid-morning."