Alert Day for potentially strong storms across Maryland on Thursday

Maryland's unsettled stretch continues, with daily chances for showers and a few thunderstorms sticking around through Thursday night. A cold front will finally sweep across the area early Friday before stalling just to our south and east for the weekend. That setup may keep a few lingering showers nearby, especially across southern Maryland.

Tonight

Moisture streaming in from the south has kept skies cloudy most of Wednesday, and radar shows pockets of light to moderate rain moving through. While the atmosphere hasn't had much instability to work with — which keeps thunder chances low — some downpours are still possible. After this initial round passes, there may be a brief lull overnight. With light winds and plenty of moisture, patchy fog and mist could form before the next batch of showers moves in from the southwest. Temperatures hold steady in the upper 60s.

Thursday into Friday

Thursday looks like another wet day. We've issued an ALERT DAY for the possibility of strong storms Thursday afternoon. The approaching storm system and associated cold front will bring more widespread showers, and if we can break into some sunshine at any point, a few strong thunderstorms are possible. Damaging winds would be the main concern. The Storm Prediction Center keeps most of Maryland under a marginal risk Level 1 severe weather threat, meaning isolated severe weather can't be ruled out. Highs will reach the upper 70s to low 80s.

Showers may linger into Thursday night as the front pushes east. By Friday morning, the front should be near or just beyond the Chesapeake Bay. That will bring drier air and increasing sunshine by afternoon. Southern Maryland may still see a leftover shower or two. Highs stay near 80, with cooler 50s to near 60 west of I-81 by Friday night.

Weekend Outlook

The front stalls offshore this weekend, while high pressure moves in. That means more clouds than sun for Baltimore, along with the chance for a passing shower, especially to the south of the metro. Temperatures will remain seasonable, generally in the 70s during the day and 60s at night.

Early Next Week

High pressure strengthens while disturbed weather near the Bahamas moves north into the western Atlantic. For us, that means drier weather gradually winning out by Tuesday, with highs still in the 70s and nights in the 50s to low 60s.