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Climate & environment

Flash flooding, damaging winds possible Wednesday in Maryland

The biggest risks from the weather today are flash floods and damaging winds, the National Weather Service said.
Storms with 70 mph winds and lightning leave thousands without power, downed trees and road closures
After heat scorched the Baltimore region, heavy rain and 70 mph winds ripped through the area during Tuesday’s evening commute and led to power outages, fire and road closures.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning on Tuesday for the region with 70 mph winds expected.
With at least 9 heat deaths, summer is off to a deadly start in Maryland
At least nine people, including two children, have died from heat-related illness so far in 2025 — more than twice as many as this time last year, according to Maryland data.
A man running away from the camera's t-shirt is drenched with sweat.
Boat ramps offer easy access to the Chesapeake Bay. Why cancel one right before the Fourth?
Boat ramps are the gateway to the Chesapeake Bay for hundreds of thousands of Marylanders. So when the public ramp shuts down people are going to notice.
The public boat ramp at Discovery Village Park in Shady Side closed July 1, after the Anne Arundel County Council decided low use numbers made the lease a bad deal in a tight year.
Chantal’s remnants bring heavy rain, risk of flash flooding to Baltimore
Parts of Maryland are under a flood watch Monday as remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal move across the region.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for parts of Maryland until 6 p.m. on Monday.
If a forest closes, does it make a sound?
Patuxent Research Refuge’s North Tract in Laurel has cut visiting hours. Could the Trump administration could close it entirely?
A male summer tanager sits on a branch above the garden at the North Tract of the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel.

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At least 32 dead in Texas floods as the search continues for people still missing
Rescuers scoured flooded riverbanks littered with mangled trees Saturday and turned over rocks in the search for more than two dozen children from a girls’ camp and many others missing after a wall of water blasted down a river in the Texas Hill Country. The storm killed at least 32 people, including 14 children.
Onlookers survey damage caused along the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas.
‘It’s so distressing:’ Neighbors plead for quiet from noisy military ships berthed at Locust Point
Residents of Baltimore's Locust Point neighborhood are accustomed to the sound of ship horns and train whistles, even the Domino Sugar plant. But some say the noise and lights from two massive Navy ships that recently docked near their homes has been unbearable. They want to know what officials are going to do about it?
A pair of huge Navy ships, the USNS Charleton, left, and the USNS Pomeroy, docked near residential homes at North Locust Point on June 5.
Howard County settles for modest climate building code changes as lawsuits pile up
Howard County climate advocates and elected leaders made a bold push in 2023 to decarbonize building codes.
The neighborhood where Felicia Novotny Davis and her partner attempted to purchase a home in Columbia, Md. on Monday, June 9, 2025. in Columbia, Md. on Monday, June 9, 2025.
Power outages, transit delays linger after severe storms rip through region
Thousands are without power as storms are rolling through the Baltimore region, bringing wind gusts, severe thunderstorms and flash floods.
Joshua Jennings Jr. looks at his vehicle that’s trapped under an overpass after a fast-moving thunderstorm on North Point Road, in Baltimore, Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
DPW lifts voluntary water restrictions for Baltimore region after rainy May
The Baltimore City Department of Public Works lifted the voluntary water restrictions for those using the local water supply.
The Loch Raven reservoir, along with the Prettyboy and Liberty reservoirs, provides water to the city.

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Maryland’s real-life Lorax keeps the search for big trees alive
A Maryland program to spot and document its biggest trees started a century ago. John Bennett is the man who keeps the mission alive.
John Bennett, chair of the Maryland Big Tree Program, stands with a Japanese snowbell tree in Port Deposit.
Severe storms forecast through Tuesday, then sunny and mild Fourth of July
Isolated to widely scattered thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and into the early evening.
A bolt of lightning is seen as an afternoon thunderstorm rolls over eastern Baltimore County, Sunday, June 29, 2025.
Maryland swelters again: Heat, humidity and fireworks ahead
Strong to severe thunderstorms will break the heat Tuesday bringing us some spectacular weather for the 4th of July. 
Dozens of people were seen enjoying the cool water at Druid Hill Park Swimming Pool in Baltimore, MD on June 23, 2025.
BGE wants you to turn your thermostat up. Vacant offices aren’t held to the same standard.
About 20% of Baltimore's downtown offices are vacant, but property owners are likely still keeping them air-conditioned.
More than 20% of the office space in Baltimore’s central business district is vacant, according to a quarterly report from CBRE.
Most of Maryland under severe thunderstorm watch
The forecast high temperature in the Baltimore area on Friday is around 82 degrees — the first time since Sunday the high temperature has dipped below 90 degrees.
Storms Thursday evening and Friday could bring a brief respite from extreme heat — but also flooding.

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Most of Maryland under severe thunderstorm watch
The forecast high temperature in the Baltimore area on Friday is around 82 degrees — the first time since Sunday the high temperature has dipped below 90 degrees.
Storms Thursday evening and Friday could bring a brief respite from extreme heat — but also flooding.
Mud baths and frozen fruit: How the Maryland Zoo keeps its animals cool
From giant ice pops and water cannons to simply hanging in the shade, the animals at the Maryland Zoo have plenty of ways to stay cool.
A large gray elephant, wet from hose water, is seen standing at a fence and getting sprayed with more water
Power line opponents appeal court order granting surveys on their land
Opponents of a contentious power line planned for rural Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties are appealing a court order that grants developers access to their land to survey the project route.
A white “x” marks the site of the new proposed transmission tower on Brandon and Marie Hill’s farmland in Parkton, MD on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024.
Why extreme heat causes trains to slow down
When steel, the backbone of railroads, heats and expands, there’s a risk of buckling, where the track snaps out to the side. Trains cannot move when this happens.
An Amtrak train arrives train going to Boston arrives at Penn Station on Monday, Jan. 29, 2024 in Baltimore, MD.
Showers and thunderstorms possible as heat pins Baltimore region
The National Weather Service predicts a 30% chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms in the Baltimore area after 3 p.m. Wednesday — just ahead of the Orioles game.
The National Weather Service predicts a 30% chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms in the Baltimore area after 3 p.m. Wednesday.
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