Brace yourselves, Baltimore residents. The National Weather Service has issued the latest forecast, and it spells out a moody blend of weather phenomena for the coming week. Today, a cold front is taking its time meandering through our region, leading to a stalled pattern tonight and Monday. This will be followed by a secondary cold front that could bring with it a mix of precipitation, including potential bouts of sleet or freezing rain in higher elevations by dawn.
The temperature is taking us on a rollercoaster ride from the upper 40s into the mid-70s, depending on where you're standing, with areas northeast of Maryland seeing cooler temperatures. At the same time, central Virginia enjoys a shot of warmth as the warm front has settled west to east, yet as this cold front makes its way inward, bring your umbrella because there's an increased chance of showers that'll likely stick around, shifting south as the day progresses. Residents near and south of the front must watch for thunderstorm potential this afternoon into the evening, though strong storms are predicted to stay south of I-64.
Looking ahead, rainfall through Monday should be "beneficial in nature," but don't be surprised if some pockets from central Virginia to southern Maryland accumulate 1-2 inches of rain. By Tuesday, the chill is here to stay, with blustery winds and temperatures remaining quite nippy—in the mid-40s to lower 50s range. As high pressure builds in on Wednesday, it ushers in a brief respite from the precipitation, keeping our thermometers capped in the 50s.
Yet, don't let Wednesday's benign conditions lull you into a false sense of security; as we push into the weekend, the weather narrative is poised for a shift with multiple troughs expected to travel through, bringing us a potential multi-day soaking rain event" or even wintry precipitations across the higher terrain areas, depending on how closely a coastal low decides to cozy up to us. This spell of varied precipitation is looming from Thursday into Saturday, so you might want to keep those raincoats and umbrellas at arm's length.
If you're taking to the skies or hitting the waters, anticipate some travel turbulence. Aviators should gear up for IFR conditions with widespread rain expected tonight, though the front's sluggish movement should afford gradual improvement by Monday afternoon. Mariners, it's an advisory fest on the waters, with gusty conditions and the potential for a few splashy thunderstorms near southern Maryland.
