Just try to pretend you're in Ireland and maybe the next few days of cool, wet weather won't seem so bad. A handy pub, a crackling fire, and it won't seem nearly so dreary.
But it looks like we're stuck with at least three days of it. National Weather Service forecasters in Sterling, Va. say we're in the path of two low-pressure systems that will bring rain, showers and drizzle to Central Maryland later today, and continue with more of the same into Saturday morning.
The good news is there is no longer any mention of snow in the local forecast, at least east of the Blue Ridge. Overnight lows will continue to drop into the 30s, but if there is any mixing of drops and flakes north and west of Baltimore and Washington, it shouldn't amount to anything.
UPDATE: 6:30 p.m.: Forecasters have reversed course, and are now calling for a mix of rain and sleet around Baltimore Wednesday evening, and rain and snow Thursday evening as temperatures dip to the mid-30s. But little or no accumulation is forecast. Earlier post resumes below:
The first round of rain is expected after 2 p.m. Wednesday, with as much as a quarter inch possible. Expect the same overnight, and still more drizzle and rain across the region Thursday as the second low-pressure system begins to take shape off the Carolina coast.