Strong winds cause damage in Baltimore area, blustery day Thursday

Showers and strong winds are passing through Maryland on Wednesday evening.

While the showers didn't have much in the way of rainfall, they produced strong wind gusts near and over 60 mph in Maryland. 

Cooler air expected after gusty winds

Maximum winds during the daylight hours Wednesday peaked between 30-40 mph for much of the state, with slightly stronger wind gusts in western Maryland. 

As a strong cold front swept across the area Wednesday night, a few northern neighborhoods saw a couple of spotty showers. Winds quickly ramped up as the cold front approached the state during the evening hours. Some of the wind gusts topped 60 mph. There was some damage reported in Baltimore and Howard counties. 

Winds calm slightly Wednesday night but it remains breezy into Thursday.

Chilly air, breezy winds Thursday

Thursday morning will be a pinch of reality for many of us after the front clears the state. After the lower 70s on Wednesday afternoon, wake-up wind-chills Thursday morning will be in the mid to upper 30s (particularly north and west of Baltimore). 

Our wind direction changes behind the front, as well. Winds out of a northerly - vs southerly, like we had Wednesday - mean cooler air sticks with us throughout the day. Highs will be about 10-15° cooler Thursday afternoon: mid to upper 50s. Winds will gust 25 to 30 mph. So, while it'll still be breezy, we aren't anticipating winds to be as strong as Wednesday.

Winds will calm Thursday night, which may lead to more patchy areas of frost, especially outside of Baltimore. 

Temperatures will rebound Friday into the middle 60s by the afternoon. The daylight hours will stay dry but as another cold front moves closer to Maryland, we could see more cloud cover during the afternoon.

Another cold front will cross the area Friday night with scattered showers. The timing of the showers appears to be overnight Friday until sunrise Saturday. 

Weekend weather in Maryland

Saturday is the pick of the weekend as of now, even though the day won't be completely dry. We will have a few showers early in the day but it appears to dry out by late morning for most neighborhoods. Skies at least partially clear and temperatures warm into the upper 60s to around 70° thanks to another round of gusty winds (similar to Wednesday).

A strong cold front, along with a developing area of low pressure, will bring a big change to our weather on Sunday. Expect overcast skies with showers developing during the morning and continuing on and off throughout the day. The breeze will turn gusty, especially during the afternoon and early evening, out of the south-southwest at 15 to 30 mph. Sunday will be the last mild day with highs in the mid-60s.

As the area of low pressure strengthens and pushes to our northeast, gusty cold northwest winds will follow. This will drop temperatures down into the upper 30s by Sunday night.

Winter-like weather early next week

Monday and Tuesday will likely be the coldest days of the season yet, with highs in the middle to upper 40s with a blustery breeze each day. While we're not expecting any widespread snow around here, there is the opportunity for the first lake effect snow of the season across upstate New York and Pennsylvania. 

While portions of the Great Lakes states may be digging out from their first lake effect snow event of the season, we have the potential for a few flurries late Monday into early Tuesday. No accumulation is expected, but don't be surprised to see the first wet flakes of the season in parts of central and western Maryland. While this isn't a guarantee, it's a growing possibility. 

Tuesday will be very cold because of the addition of strong winds. West to northwest winds at 20 mph will gust to 40 mph, sinking wind-chills down into the 20s and 30s for the rest of the day.

Luckily, this is just a brief taste of winter weather as temperatures will quickly rebound into the 50s and lower 60s by the middle of next week!