Maryland Weather: Alert Day issued Thursday for arctic blast
BALTIMORE -- Expect cold & quiet weather today. An arctic blast Thursday brings strong wind, rain & snow showers, & bitter cold.
Expect cold and quiet weather today with sunshine giving way to increasing clouds. We still will endure a chilly breeze with highs in the lower 40s. Clouds thicken this evening and there is the chance of a shower toward daybreak Thursday. Expect a gusty southwesterly breeze overnight with lows in the upper 30s.
The arctic cold front is expected to move into the region around sunrise tomorrow or just before. Along and head of the boundary, expect rain showers to transition quickly to a mix of rain and snow or all snow. Snowfall may come down intensely for a short period, potentially leading to light accumulations on grassy surfaces, particularly north and west of Baltimore. Look out for reduced visibility in any gusty snow showers.
Once the snow showers clear, winds and bitter cold become the main story Thursday afternoon and evening. Gusts out of the northwest could exceed 40 miles per hour along the I-95 corridor, while higher elevations in western areas—such as the Catoctin Mountains in northern Frederick County and Parr's Ridge in Carroll and Howard counties—may experience gusts over 50 miles per hour.
BLIZZARD WARNING: A blizzard warning has been issued for Garrett County Maryland from 9 PM today through 3 PM Thursday. If you're traveling to western Maryland, be prepared for heavy snow and blowing snow, with near-blizzard conditions possible in Garrett County. Wind chills in those areas could drop to near or below zero. Winds could gust up to 55 mph with 4 to 8 inches of snow expected. Travel is NOT advised and should be considered extremely dangerous.
For the rest of the region, conditions will remain windy and cold through Friday. Overnight lows Thursday night will dip into the lower 20s, with wind chills dropping into the teens by Friday morning. Highs on Friday will struggle to climb beyond the mid-to-upper 30s. Even colder temperatures are expected Friday night, with many areas seeing lows around 20 degrees by Saturday morning.
Weekend Outlook
Saturday will remain cold, with highs in the upper 30s to near 40 degrees. However, a warming trend is on the horizon. By Sunday, high temperatures will rebound to near 50 degrees. Clouds will increase Sunday night, bringing a chance of showers into Monday.
Monday's high temperatures are forecast to reach the mid-50s, with highs in the lower to middle 60s possible by Tuesday. An active weather pattern is expected midweek, with several rounds of rain likely through the latter part of the week. Despite the precipitation, temperatures will remain mild, with highs in the 40s and 50s to close out the week.