The first weekend of 2026 looks mostly cloudy and cold across Maryland. However, the weather pattern across the entire United States will reshuffle next week, allowing for a big warmup.

Saturday begins with lots of clouds and temperatures in the low to mid-20s. It’ll slowly warm into the low and mid-30s by 3 p.m.

Central and Northern Maryland will be squeezed between two storm systems on Saturday. One storm system will pass to our north while the other stays to our south.

Because Maryland is squeezed between these two systems, the state is not expected to see any significant weather impacts. However, there could still be some scattered flurries and very light snow showers late Saturday. The chance of light snow is greatest between 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday. No accumulation is expected.

A gusty northwest wind moves in on Sunday, with continued chilly conditions.

January thaw begins next week

Seasonably cold weather will kick off the first full week of the new year. Expect plenty of cloud cover on Monday with seasonably cold afternoon temperatures in the mid- to upper 30s. A few snow flurries are possible north of Interstate 70 through the day.

A gradual warmup begins Tuesday. The real warmup arrives Wednesday into Thursday. High temperatures will reach the 50s. The mild air is likely to continue beyond that into next weekend.

The weather next week should remain mostly dry until Thursday. A round, or two, of showers is expected later in the day into Friday.

The January thaw should continue until the middle of this month, before a colder and stormier pattern returns to the mid-Atlantic.

WJZ is a media partner with The Banner.