Alert Day: Arctic temperatures, strong wind gusts continue into Christmas Eve
BALTIMORE -- This bitter, brutal, bone-chilling cold front continues through Christmas weekend.
We remain on Weather Alert as a Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect through Saturday morning in the Baltimore area.
Garrett and Allegany counties have a High Wind Warning through Saturday morning as well with peak wind gusts reaching near 50 mph.
By Saturday afternoon, actual temps in Central Maryland will be in the 20s but it will only feel like the single digits and low teens.
Temps dip back into the low teens on Christmas morning. Expect plenty of sunshine but highs will again remain in the low to mid-20s through the day.
Wind chills through the day Saturday will remain below zero. A combination of gusty winds and the Arctic cold makes it feel brutal. Be sure to check on pets, people, and pipes. This dangerous cold continues on Christmas Day. If you will be traveling, be sure to pack warm clothing and cover all exposed skin.
It's not until Monday that we can expect daytime highs back in the low 30s and conditions to feel slightly warmer. The good news is precipitation has come to an end and we can expect mostly sunny skies over the next few days.
West winds between 20-30 mph are expected and we could see gusts up to 55 mph!
It could feel as low as 15° below zero!
WARNINGS & ALERTS
- A CODE BLUE EXTREME COLD ALERT has been issued by the Baltimore City Health Department through Monday.
- A WIND ADVISORY is in effect Friday for areas east of I-81 to I-95 including Baltimore City Friday.
- A HIGH-WIND WARNING is in effect for the Garret, Allegany & Washington Co. for Friday. Wind gusts may reach 60 mph in the wake of the arctic cold front Friday morning.
- Emergency response operations have also been activated statewide, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday evening.
We will begin a slow warmup next week. Temps will reach the 30s for highs Monday and Tuesday with lows in the teens again Monday morning to around 20 on Tuesday morning. 40s return by Wednesday with a more substantial warming trend by Thursday and Friday with highs near or above 50.
