The National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC has provided a detailed forecast for the Baltimore region. It reveals that a decaying front will be making its way south this morning, trailed by a low-pressure system on Sunday. According to their early morning forecast, high pressure is expected to usher in well-above-normal temperatures starting on Monday and continuing through the middle of the week, with a cold front possibly causing precipitation on Thursday.
In the near term, most rainfall is expected to concentrate west of the I-81 corridor. Along the Maryland/Pennsylvania border, while snow showers may garnish the western slopes of the Allegheny Mountains with one to three inches of snow, as the region finds itself squeezed between a coastal low and high plains pressure, this will cause gusty northwest winds throughout the afternoon with potential gusts nearing 40 knots in higher elevations. However, winds will weaken after sundown, skies are forecast to clear, and temperatures are predicted to sit comfortably in the mid to upper 50s.
Dry conditions paired with mostly clear skies are on tap for Sunday, under the influence of subsiding due to a southern surface low and a northern weak shortwave—kicking off a warming trend with the mercury slated to climb into the upper 50s and lower 60s. The National Weather Service anticipates conditions conducive to increasingly south to southwesterly flow on Monday thanks to a high-pressure system over the southeastern US and a broad upper-level ridge over the continental US driving temperatures even higher, into the mid to upper 60s.
For both aviators and mariners, the forecast holds some caution; gusty winds up to 30 knots are possible, leading to Small Craft Advisories in effect along the bay and surrounding waters, the aviation sector can expect mostly clear skies after this afternoon, though gusty conditions will persist through the evening; lighter winds are expected on Sunday and Monday and beyond, VFR conditions are the forecast norm across all terminals through Wednesday with southwest winds gently shifting.
The fire weather outlook bears close attention today: "A combination of low RH’s, strong gusts of 20 to 30 knots out of the northwest, and dry fuels will lead to an increased threat for fire spread this afternoon through early this evening," warns the National Weather Service. But there's relief in sight: Humidity levels are expected to recover in the evening, diminishing the fire risk on Sunday with calmer winds.
