Chilly weather this week in the Baltimore area could give way to a warmer winter in Maryland, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
A NOAA report for the winter season predicted much of the country, including Maryland, will experience higher temperatures from December through February. While the southern region of the United States is more likely to see those higher temperatures, it’s probable Maryland will have a warmer-than-usual winter, the NOAA report said.
NOAA forecast that precipitation should remain at normal levels through the winter. But it also noted that a small part of Western Maryland is experiencing drought conditions this fall.
Jeffrey B. Halverson, a professor of weather and climate at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, said the region is “kind of in a snow drought.”
“We have not had snowy winters the past three to four years,” Halverson said, but he added it would be unusual not to see a few snowy days this winter in Maryland.
The state is currently in a La Niña system, which NOAA describes as “a wave-like jet stream” that causes “colder and stormier than average conditions across the North, and warmer and less stormier conditions across the South.”
“The big blockbuster 2-foot storm is not typically what you see during a La Niña pattern,” Halverson said. He added that the region would need cold air from the Atlantic Ocean to see snow.
Still, the city of Baltimore has readied itself in case of snowstorms and freezing temperatures. The average December temperature in the Baltimore area is about 38 degrees.
The city has prepped its 15,000 tons of salt and hundreds of snow removal machines ahead of the winter holidays, according to a Thursday press release. Baltimore has a $7.3 million budget for snow removal this year.
Mayor Brandon Scott told residents on Thursday to assemble emergency supply kits for their homes and cars ahead of any winter weather.
A handful of buildings in Baltimore will operate as warming centers for people experiencing homelessness during days when temperatures hit 32 degrees or lower. Emergency overnight shelter will also be made available to those who request it on those days.
The city reported that last winter there were 74 days that reached freezing temperatures and 25 “Code Blue” days, which means temperature with wind chill is 13 degrees or below. Six people in Baltimore suffered hypothermia or cold-weather-related deaths this past winter season, according to the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Most Maryland counties have their own winter preparedness guide available ahead of the season, including Baltimore, Howard, Anne Arundel and Montgomery counties.
Chilly temperatures this week
Overnight on Sunday into Monday and Tuesday, the first bout of winter temperatures will hit Baltimore, said Luis Rosa, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Baltimore/Washington office.
Temperatures will dip on Sunday night and remain in the 40s and 30s through Monday, Rosa said. The Baltimore area could see some of the season’s first snowflakes at the beginning of the week, he added.
The Baltimore area received a little over a foot of snow in total last year, according to the National Weather Service. Maryland, on average, gets about 20 inches of snow, but the amount ranges widely across the state.
Wind gusts up to 40 mph will keep Baltimoreans shivering through Tuesday, Rosa said, but temperatures will start to rise throughout the rest of the week.
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