As Baltimore residents pull out their sweaters and brace for a sudden shift in weather conditions, the National Weather Service has announced that a strong cold front will sweep through the area today, causing temperatures to drop and winds to gust at 20-30 mph this afternoon, according to the latest forecast from the NWS Baltimore MD/Washington DC.
Early risers experienced showers this morning, but as the front moves southeastward, dry air will follow, and skies will clear. The day's highs in the lower 70s will occur early, preceding the front's passage, but temperatures in the mid 60s to near 70 are expected later, as cold advection from the northwest offsets the sun’s warmth. Cloud coverage will also diminish starting from the northwest regions and progressing southeastward through the late morning into the afternoon.
With the front’s influence extending into tonight and beyond, most locations around Baltimore can anticipate a chilly drop into the 40s, and winds will take a calmer turn at 5-10 mph from the north; some mountain valleys may even see frost formation, prompting Frost Advisories in affected areas of the Alleghenies and Potomac Highlands, where the mercury is set to plummet to the mid 30s.
Looking ahead, high pressure will build around Baltimore on Thursday and Friday bringing sunny days and clear nights, the cool trend will persist with daytime temperatures climbing only into the 60s and nights chilling down into the 30s, especially to the north and west of I-95 which will likely see frost – and a Freeze Watch has already been issued for areas including the Alleghenies, Potomac Highlands, and the Shenandoah Valley, where sub-freezing temperatures are more probable tomorrow night.
As for the weekend forecast, uncertainty looms with a complex weather pattern across the nation affecting our long-term outlook, interactions between a split flow regime could bring a closed low from the Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic and coastal low pressures could complicate matters further, potentially impacting the region with below-average temperatures and a mixed bag of rain chances primarily confined to the eastern zone along and east of I-95 as spelled out by the National Weather Service forecast.
Marine conditions will also see the impact of the cold front, with Small Craft Advisories in effect for gusts reaching 20 to 30 knots today into tonight and again approaching the weekend. Depending on the track of the approaching low-pressure system, mariners might need to prepare for Gale conditions by Sunday over southern waters. On the tide front, coastal flooding is a rising concern for Friday and into the weekend, with onshore flows aiding water levels—particularly around Annapolis—to reach possible Moderate Flood stage by Friday evening.
