Multiple Tornado Watches Across Maryland, Severe Storms Rolling Through Overnight

Tonight is not a night to leave the weather radio off. Tornado Watches cover a wide swath of central, southern, and eastern Maryland until 10 PM — including Anne Arundel, Calvert, Cecil, Charles, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s, Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties — while a Tornado Warning is active for Queen Anne’s County right now and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning is tagging Caroline, Kent, and Queen Anne’s counties as a line of storms rides a cold front through the state. Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick, Carroll, Baltimore City/County, Harford, and Howard are not included in any Tornado Watch at this time, though showers and thunderstorms are still expected there tonight. NWS Baltimore/Washington (3:31 PM), NWS Mount Holly (4:23 PM), and NWS Wakefield (3:39 PM) all issued updates this afternoon pointing to the same setup: a hot, moisture-rich atmosphere (90° readings, mid-70s dewpoints, up to 3,500 J/kg of instability) colliding with a strong cold front and enough shear to support rotating, potentially significant tornadoes, especially along and south of I-70 and across the Eastern Shore.

Bottom line: get your severe weather plan straight before dinner’s over. This piece walks through the timing, the county-by-county forecast, every active alert, and what Friday and the weekend look like on the other side.

Tonight’s Timing, Hour by Hour

• Now–7 PM: Discrete, potentially rotating supercells continuing across central Maryland and the Eastern Shore, some already showing mid-level rotation. This is the window for isolated significant tornadoes, especially along and south of the I-70 corridor and over the upper Shore.
• 7–9 PM: Storms begin consolidating into a broken line or small MCS as the cold front sweeps through Central Maryland, the Baltimore-DC corridor, and Southern Maryland. Damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes remain possible; brief rainfall rates near 2 inches per hour are possible with any cell, though fast storm motions (around 27 knots) should keep flash flooding risk comparatively low tonight.
• 9 PM–midnight: The line pushes off toward the Bay and Eastern Shore, with lingering showers and a few rumbles of thunder possible into the Ocean City area and coastal waters. Skies gradually clear from west to east behind the front, with patchy fog possible overnight in the Cumberland area as things calm down.

Region by Region

Western Maryland — Garrett & Allegany

Garrett County (Deep Creek/Oakland) tops out around 72° this afternoon with a lower-70s feel, breezy west winds near 6 mph, and a near coin-flip (48%) chance of showers and thunderstorms — nothing like the severe risk unfolding east of the mountains. Lows tonight settle into the upper 50s, around 57°, with continuing shower chances near 46% and clouds hanging on into the evening. Allegany County (Cumberland) runs a bit warmer, around 78° this afternoon with light north winds and a 45% shower/storm chance, dropping to around 61° overnight with lingering shower chances (43%) and patchy fog developing late as winds go calm. Neither county is under any Tornado Watch — the mountains stay on the quieter side of tonight’s severe setup, though a rumble of thunder can’t be ruled out.

Northern & Central — Washington, Frederick, Carroll

Hagerstown (Washington County) is looking at showers and thunderstorms likely this afternoon, high around 80°, north winds near 7 mph, with a 57% precip chance. Overnight lows fall to around 62°, upper 50s to low 60s, with a 48% chance of lingering storms before skies partly clear. Frederick and Carroll counties run almost identical: high near 81° this afternoon under a 58% chance of showers and thunderstorms with north winds around 6 mph, dropping to around 63° tonight with a 51% chance of continuing activity. None of these three counties are listed in tonight’s Tornado Watches, but they’ll still see the same cold front and its showers and storms pass through — stay weather-aware into the evening commute.

Baltimore Metro — City, County, Harford, Howard, Anne Arundel

Baltimore City and County, along with Harford and Howard, are forecast for a high near 86° this afternoon, warm and humid ahead of the front, with a 69% chance of showers and thunderstorms and gusty northwest winds near 7 mph. Overnight lows drop to around 67° with an 82% chance of storms continuing into the evening before clouds linger. None of these four are named in a Tornado Watch tonight, but Anne Arundel County is — it falls under the watch until 10 PM, and residents there should have a way to get warnings after dark. This is one of the more active corridors for tonight’s line.

DC Suburbs — Montgomery & Prince George’s

Silver Spring-area readings run a touch hotter, high near 87° this afternoon with an identical 69% storm chance and gusty northwest winds near 8 mph. Overnight lows dip to around 65°, with a 55% chance of storms continuing before clearing. Prince George’s County is named specifically in tonight’s Tornado Watch; Montgomery County is not listed in the watch area but sits close enough to the line that storms moving through will still bring the same lightning and downpour threat. This is squarely in the highest-confidence zone for rotating storms mentioned in the NWS Baltimore/Washington discussion, especially along and south of I-70.

Southern Maryland — Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s

Prince Frederick-area highs reach around 89° this afternoon, the warmest reading in the state today, with south winds near 8 mph and a lower 43% storm chance — though that’s still enough for a strong to severe cell given the surrounding instability. Overnight lows fall to around 68°, with storm chances jumping to 68% as the front works through. All three counties — Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s — are included in tonight’s Tornado Watch until 10 PM.

Upper Eastern Shore — Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Caroline

This is ground zero tonight. Easton-area readings hit around 90° this afternoon, south winds near 10 mph, and a 68% chance of showers and thunderstorms — with overnight chances spiking to a remarkable 99% and lows near 66°. A Tornado Warning is active for Queen Anne’s County right now, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning covers Caroline, Kent, and Queen Anne’s, and a broader Tornado Watch stretches across Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties as part of a multi-state watch extending into Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Cecil County is under its own Tornado Watch tied to the DC/Anne Arundel/Southern Maryland watch group. This is the part of Maryland the afternoon discussions flagged for discrete supercells with significant tornado potential — treat any warning here as urgent tonight.

Lower Eastern Shore — Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset

Salisbury-area highs run near 87° this afternoon with gusty south winds around 12 mph and a 64% chance of showers and thunderstorms, climbing to an 82% chance overnight with lows near 69°. Dorchester, Somerset, and Wicomico counties are all under a Tornado Watch until 10 PM tonight — this line has real teeth as it slides southeast off the mainland Shore, so keep watches and warnings close at hand through the evening.

Ocean City & the Coast — Worcester

Ocean City sits at a cooler 82° this afternoon thanks to a stiff south wind near 16 mph off the water, with a 57% storm chance building to 82% overnight and lows near 71°. Worcester County is included in the same Tornado Watch as the lower Shore, active until 10 PM. Surf stays modest — around 2 feet — with a low rip current risk for Friday, but anyone on the beach this evening should get off the sand well before any thunder rolls in, watch or no watch.

Active Hazards — Full List

• Tornado Warning: Queen Anne’s County, MD (and Kent County, DE) — active now.
• Severe Thunderstorm Warning: Caroline, Kent, and Queen Anne’s counties, MD (and Kent County, DE) — active now.
• Tornado Watch until 10 PM: Anne Arundel, Calvert, Cecil, Charles, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s counties, MD, plus the District of Columbia and parts of Northern Virginia.
• Tornado Watch until 10 PM: Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties, MD, as part of a broader watch covering Delaware, southern New Jersey, and southeastern Pennsylvania.
• Tornado Watch until 10 PM: Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties, MD.
• Small Craft Advisory until 8 PM: Maryland tidal waters (MDZ008) and Chesapeake Bay/coastal marine zones (ANZ530-543).

Severe & Flooding Threat

NWS Baltimore/Washington’s 18Z Dulles sounding showed a genuinely dangerous combination this afternoon: temperatures near 90°, dewpoints in the mid-70s, up to 3,500 J/kg of instability, 40 knots of deep shear, and strong low-level rotation potential. Storms already displayed mid-level rotation, particularly one over the Eastern Shore — the same environment that later produced tonight’s warnings. The greatest significant tornado risk was flagged along and south of I-70, where a tight low-level moisture gradient set up. By evening, storms are expected to consolidate into a line or small cluster as the cold front sweeps through. Flash flooding risk stays comparatively low thanks to fast storm motion (around 27 knots), but any individual cell could still dump rain at 2 inches per hour. NWS Wakefield and Mount Holly echo the same message for the southern and eastern parts of the state — strong to severe storms with wind, hail, and tornado potential this evening, with a continued flash flood risk into Friday from additional rounds of heavy rain.

Heat, Humidity & Winds

It’s been a sticky, unstable day statewide, with afternoon highs ranging from the low 70s in Garrett County up to near 90° on the mid-Shore and in Southern Maryland. Winds have been generally light out of the north to south depending on location ahead of the front, with gusty southerly flow at the coast (near 16 mph in Ocean City) drawing in the moisture that’s fueling tonight’s storms. Behind the front, expect winds to back around out of the north and northwest overnight, ushering in cooler, drier air.

Chesapeake Bay & Marine

A Small Craft Advisory remains in effect until 8 PM for Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters, with numerous severe thunderstorms expected this afternoon and evening, mainly north of Route 50. Additional Special Marine Warnings are likely as storms track over the water. Anyone still out on the Bay this evening should be heading in now.

Overnight Lows by Zone

Zone	Low Tonight
Western Mountains (Garrett)	~57°
Cumberland/Allegany	~61°
Hagerstown/Washington Co.	~62°
Frederick/Carroll	~63°
Baltimore/DC Corridor	~65-67°
Southern Maryland	~68°
Eastern Shore	~66-69°
Ocean City	~71°

Looking Ahead

Friday brings a welcome break — mostly sunny to partly sunny skies statewide, highs in the upper 70s to low 80s, and precip chances dropping into the single digits for most of the state (a bit higher, near 16-18%, on the lower Shore and coast late in the day). That lull doesn’t last, though: showers and a few thunderstorms return Friday night into Saturday as a coastal low develops and another upper-level disturbance approaches from the west, with Saturday shower/storm chances running 60-88% depending on location — highest on the Eastern Shore and at the coast. Sunday brings another increase in thunderstorm chances, especially along and west of the Blue Ridge, before drier, more comfortable air settles in for Monday and Tuesday with highs in the 70s to low 80s and lower humidity.

Data: NWS Baltimore/Washington, Mount Holly & Wakefield.
MD Weather Alerts — stay dry, stay aware, and keep that phone charged tonight, Maryland.