Quiet is the word for tonight across Maryland. NWS Baltimore/Washington (2:44 PM issuance) and NWS Wakefield (2:43 PM) both describe a mild, mostly clear night statewide as high pressure noses offshore, with the real weather story arriving Thursday as a cold front tracks in from the west. NWS Mount Holly (4:32 PM) flags a decaying batch of showers well to our north that may just clip far northern Maryland toward daybreak, but confidence in that reaching the metros is low.
Tonight’s Timeline
- Evening (now–10 PM): Clear to partly cloudy statewide. A stray pop-up shower can’t be fully ruled out right around the WV/Garrett County line near sunset, but most of Maryland stays dry and comfortable.
- Late night (10 PM–2 AM): Skies remain mainly clear east of the mountains. Out west, cumulus increases as weakening thunderstorm activity over the Ohio Valley drifts toward the Appalachian crest.
- Pre-dawn (2 AM–7 AM): Any storminess reaching Garrett/Allegany continues to weaken as it runs out of instability. A couple of showers can’t be ruled out as far east as the Baltimore-DC corridor by daybreak Thursday, but this is a low-confidence, low-impact signal — think a few sprinkles at most, not a soaking.
County by County Tonight
| Region | Low | Sky/Precip |
|---|---|---|
| Garrett/Allegany | 65–70° | PM clouds, showers/storms possible late |
| Washington/Frederick/Carroll | 71° | Partly cloudy, isolated late-night shower chance |
| Baltimore metro/DC suburbs | 72–74° | Mostly clear, breezy |
| Southern MD | 72° | Mostly clear |
| Eastern Shore (upper/lower) | 71–74° | Mostly clear |
| Ocean City/Coast | 73° | Mostly clear, breezy/gusty |
Western Maryland
Garrett County (Deep Creek/Oakland): Low near 65°, partly cloudy early with showers and a few thunderstorms becoming likely (62% chance) toward the overnight hours as the approaching frontal system finally arrives from the west. Winds southwest around 9 mph. If you’re out at Deep Creek tonight, keep an eye to the west — the mountain crest gets first crack at whatever weakened activity survives the trip from the Ohio Valley.
Allegany County (Cumberland): Low around 70°, isolated showers early with a slight chance of a rumble of thunder later (30% overall). Winds light out of the southwest. Nothing that should disrupt an evening on the porch, but don’t be shocked by a passing sprinkle after midnight.
Northern & Central Maryland
Washington County (Hagerstown): Low near 71°, a modest 25% chance of a shower or storm as the front’s leading edge noses closer. Winds south 5-10 mph.
Frederick County: Low around 71°, mostly partly cloudy with just an 18% slight chance of a stray shower late. Comfortable, muggy-but-manageable evening.
Carroll County: Sharing Frederick’s gridpoint — low near 71°, similar low-end shower chance overnight, generally quiet.
Baltimore Metro
Baltimore City & County: Low around 74°, mostly clear with just a 10% chance of any stray shower. Winds southwest 8-14 mph — enough to rustle the harbor flags but not much more.
Harford County: Sharing the metro gridpoint, low near 74°, mostly clear and quiet overnight.
Howard County: Similar setup — low around 74°, mostly clear, breezy southwest wind.
Anne Arundel County: Low near 74°, mostly clear skies over the Bay tonight, with breezy southwest winds that’ll keep the humidity from feeling too heavy.
DC Suburbs
Montgomery County: Low near 72°, mostly clear, just an 8% shower chance. Southwest winds 9-13 mph keeping the air moving.
Prince George’s County: Sharing that same mild, mostly clear setup — low around 72°, quiet night.
Southern Maryland
Charles, Calvert & St. Mary’s Counties: Low around 72°, mostly clear with essentially no rain chance tonight (just 1%). Winds south 10-14 mph. A genuinely pleasant late-summer evening down here — deck weather, if there ever was.
Upper Eastern Shore
Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot & Caroline Counties: Low near 74°, mostly clear with only a 3% rain chance. South winds around 10 mph. Quiet night from the head of the Bay down through the Choptank.
Lower Eastern Shore
Dorchester, Wicomico & Somerset Counties: Low around 71°, mostly clear, south winds near 13 mph. Just a 2% rain chance — as calm a night as you’ll find this week.
Ocean City & the Coast
Worcester County: Low near 73°, mostly clear but breezy, with southwest winds gusting to around 18 mph offshore. Surf running 2 to 3 feet with a low rip current risk (per NWS Wakefield’s surf zone forecast, risk has actually decreased today). Low tide at the Ocean City Fishing Pier was 12:41 PM; next high tide comes early Thursday morning at 7:20 AM. A fine night for a boardwalk stroll, though hang onto your hat with that wind.
Active Hazards
No active watches, warnings, or advisories are in effect for Maryland at this time. NWS Baltimore/Washington’s Hazardous Weather Outlook explicitly states no hazardous weather is expected tonight. The only note of interest: NWS Wakefield has added Small Craft Advisories for Virginia’s tidal rivers late tonight into tomorrow morning for increasing southwest winds — that’s a Virginia-side product and does not cover Maryland waters, but Bay-adjacent boaters should still expect building southwest winds overnight as the offshore high shifts east.
Severe & Flooding Outlook
No severe weather or flooding threat tonight. The bigger story shifts to Thursday and Thursday night, when a cold front and an associated frontal wave track from northwest to southeast across the state. Instability looks modest (roughly 1000-1500 J/kg where boundary layer heating is best, mainly toward central Virginia), so any storms that fire Thursday afternoon into evening should stay below severe criteria — but forecasters aren’t ruling out an isolated stronger, rotating cell near the front/wave axis Thursday evening, possibly affecting southern Maryland. We’ll have full details in tomorrow’s forecasts as timing sharpens.
Heat, Humidity & Winds
Tonight stays comfortably mild rather than oppressive — dewpoints are creeping up as return flow develops ahead of the front, but nothing approaching heat-index territory after sunset. Winds are the more notable feature: southwest breezes running 8-14 mph across the central and southern counties, gusting higher at the coast (near 18 mph in Ocean City). A low-level jet overhead tonight brings a slight chance of low-level wind shear aloft, mainly a concern for aviation rather than anything at the surface.
Chesapeake Bay & Marine
Bay and tidal river winds run south to southwest 8-14 mph tonight, occasionally gusting higher over open water — manageable for most boaters, but small craft operators should stay alert as flow increases toward Thursday morning ahead of the approaching front. No marine warnings are posted for Maryland waters at this time.
Overnight Lows by Zone
- Western mountains (Garrett): around 65°
- Cumberland/Hagerstown: 70–71°
- Frederick/Carroll: around 71°
- Baltimore/DC corridor: 72–74°
- Southern Maryland: around 72°
- Eastern Shore: 71–74°
- Ocean City: around 73°
Looking Ahead
Thursday: Turns warm to hot ahead of the front — highs reach around 90° in Baltimore, DC suburbs, and southern Maryland, upper 80s on the Eastern Shore, mid-to-upper 80s in Frederick/Carroll and Hagerstown, and mid 80s even in Cumberland. Garrett County stays cooler in the low 70s. Showers and thunderstorms build through the afternoon and especially Thursday evening into Thursday night as the front and frontal wave sweep through — highest coverage (70-83% chances) across the DC suburbs, Baltimore area, and Eastern Shore Thursday night. A brief, locally stronger storm can’t be ruled out near southern Maryland Thursday evening, though widespread severe weather is not expected.
Friday: The front slides south and stalls, and most of the state trends drier and noticeably more comfortable behind it — highs mostly in the upper 70s to low 80s, with just lingering shower chances near the I-64 corridor to our south. A pleasant end to the workweek looks likely for most of Maryland.
Beyond that: an unsettled weekend returns with daily shower and thunderstorm chances Saturday and Sunday as humidity builds back in, and confidence is growing for a genuine hot spell arriving next week — upper 80s (upper 70s in the mountains) with heat index values pushing into the low 90s east of the Blue Ridge and in mountain valleys. We’ll keep tracking it.
Data: NWS Baltimore/Washington, Mount Holly & Wakefield.
MD Weather Alerts brings you Maryland’s most complete forecast, county by county, night after night. Sleep easy tonight — we’ll be watching Thursday’s front for you.