Big Snow Expected This Winter, According to All Four Major Networks

“More Snow, Chance For Blizzards” – FOX5 “Big Winter” – NBC4 “More snow this winter than any other season over the last 5 years” – ABC7 “Above Average Snowfall For Entire DMV” – WUSA9. Today we’re going to take a look at how much snow each of the four major networks in the DC region are projecting for this winter to see who comes closest.

FOX5 was the first to release their 2023-2024 Winter Weather Outlook forecast and they’re expecting “more snow than an average winter, but big winter events may not arrive until the new year.” The backloaded winter could come with a warm December that brings more rain storms than snow storms, but also brings the chance for 1-3 storms at the 5″+ level later in the winter. The outlook states that we have an “above average chance for a blizzard-level storm.” Almost all of Montgomery County is in the 12″-20″ range and is joined by surrounding DC, Howard County, Prince George’s County, and Fairfax County. Frederick County and half of Loudoun make it into the 18″-28″ range. Map below:

NBC4 had the highest snow totals for our area. Doug Kammerer and Storm Team 4 state that “we could see one or two big snowstorms that really make their mark on the winter of 2023-2024.” In our eyes, that means a storm that drops at least six inches across the region, but could also bring snow that’s measured in feet to the area. Since the El Niño patter is expected to bring above average temperatures and an active storm track, plenty of storms will come in the form as rain. The snow will be there when we are dealing with colder temperatures, which is what they expect January and February to bring. The team expects 22-30″ of snow in the city and areas immediately surrounding it (Prince George’s County, Arlington, Bethesda, Silver Spring), 30-40″ for areas a little further north like Gaithersburg, Leesburg, and Rockville, and up to 52″ in places like Frederick and Hagerstown. Map below:

The First Weather Alert Team at ABC is predicting higher than average snow for the region. “More snow this winter than any other season over the last 5 years.” That quote is similar to what was in the Capital Weather Gang Winter Outlook and the amounts projected for the area vary from 17-22 inches from Gaithersburg and areas south in Montgomery County, all of DC, Fairfax County, half of Howard County, and Prince George’s County, to 22-30 inches for areas north of Gaithersburg in Montgomery County, Loudoun County, Frederick County, and half of Howard County. Map below:

WUSA 9 was the last of the four major networks to release its 2023-2024 Winter Forecast and they believe there will be “above average snowfall for the entire DMV” including a relatively early first snow of the season. The team of Kaitlyn McGrath, Topper Shutt, Makayla Lucero, and Christopher P Laudicina are going with 17 inches at National Airport, 26 inches at Dulles Airport, 24 inches in Rockville, 25 inches in Fairfax, and 17 inches in Bowie. Most of Montgomery County falls in the 20-30 inch range, which includes most of Loudon County, some of Fairfax County, Frederick County and Carroll County. Parts of southern/east MoCo are in the 10-20 inch range that also includes DC and Prince George’s County and most of Howard County.