Good evening, Maryland. Tonight is the calm before a brief, welcome breather — NWS Baltimore/Washington (2:52 PM update) and NWS Wakefield (3:26 PM update) both have the cold front that brought today’s stray showers sliding south and stalling out, setting up a cooler, drier Saturday statewide before the next system — Sunday’s showers and thunderstorms — comes knocking. Mount Holly (4:58 PM) echoes the same story for the Shore and coast: tranquil through Saturday daytime, then unsettled again by Saturday night into a much wetter, cooler-trending pattern next week.
Tonight’s Timeline
- 6 PM – 9 PM: Lingering isolated showers wind down west-to-east across the western mountains and Panhandle counties; skies mostly cloudy elsewhere, muggy but comfortable.
- 9 PM – Midnight: Front finishes clearing central Maryland. Clouds hang around, but rain chances drop close to zero across the I-95 corridor and points east.
- Midnight – 5 AM: Patchy fog develops in the western valleys and across parts of the Eastern Shore as temperatures fall and low-level moisture pools. Small Craft Advisory kicks in on the Bay and coastal waters at 10 PM as northerly winds strengthen behind the front.
- 5 AM – 8 AM Saturday: Areas of fog possible from Deep Creek to Cumberland; otherwise a quiet, cool start to the weekend.
Region-by-Region Breakdown
Western Maryland
Garrett (Deep Creek/Oakland): Overnight low around 54° — upper 40s to mid 50s — under scattered showers fading to areas of fog by daybreak. Winds light, NE 3-8 mph. Saturday rebounds to 73° with fog clearing to partly sunny skies, a genuinely pleasant day at the lake.
Allegany (Cumberland): Low near 57°, isolated showers tapering, fog settling into the valley overnight. Winds light north-to-northeast. Saturday climbs to 77° with fog giving way to sun by midday.
Northern & Central Maryland
Washington Co. (Hagerstown): Low around 57°, isolated showers ending early, then partly cloudy. Winds N around 9 mph. Saturday: 77° and mostly dry with just a 5% shower chance.
Frederick / Carroll: Low near 58°, showers tapering to partly cloudy skies overnight. Saturday highs reach 78°, sunny breaks, comfortable low humidity — good yard-work weather.
Baltimore Metro
Baltimore City & County, Harford, Howard, Anne Arundel: Overnight low around 62°, partly cloudy, winds light out of the north around 9 mph — a genuinely crisp night for sleeping with windows open. Saturday: mostly sunny, high near 80°, only a 5% shower chance. About as clean a late-summer Saturday as you’ll get.
DC Suburbs
Montgomery & Prince George’s: Low near 62°, mostly cloudy skies overnight, calm winds. Saturday brings a partly sunny 78° with only a 10% shower chance — pleasant, mild, and low-key.
Southern Maryland
Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s: Mild overnight low near 65°, partly cloudy, light NE winds 7-10 mph. Saturday: partly sunny, high near 80°, winds picking up slightly out of the northeast around 10 mph — comfortable conditions for anyone heading out on the water, though check the marine advisory below before you do.
Upper Eastern Shore
Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Caroline: Low near 65°, mostly cloudy, near-calm winds. Saturday: partly sunny, high near 79°, minimal shower chance (9%). Fine conditions for farmers market mornings and marina strolls alike.
Lower Eastern Shore
Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset: A lingering chance of showers and a stray rumble of thunder tonight (29%) as warm Bay-influenced air noses onshore, tapering to mostly cloudy skies by late evening. Low near 67°. Saturday: partly sunny, high near 79°, with just a slight chance of afternoon showers.
Ocean City & the Coast
Overnight low near 70° with partly cloudy skies and breezy NE winds 7-14 mph. Saturday: mostly sunny, high near 74° — noticeably cooler than the mainland thanks to the onshore breeze, which strengthens further (NE around 16 mph) as the day goes on. Surf: 2 to 4 feet, water temp upper 70s. Rip currents: Moderate risk — swim near a lifeguard and know that the moderate flag means real danger for weak swimmers. Tides at the OC Fishing Pier: low 7:56 AM, high 2:33 PM. A slight chance of showers creeps in Saturday afternoon.
Active Hazards
No watches, warnings, or advisories are active for inland Maryland tonight. On the water, however:
- Small Craft Advisory — 10 PM tonight through 10 AM Saturday for the upper Chesapeake Bay, Patapsco/Baltimore Harbor, and the tidal Potomac zones (ANZ531-533, 539-541) as northerly winds strengthen behind the front.
- Small Craft Advisory — 5 AM to 1 PM Saturday for the mid-to-lower Bay and Tangier Sound waters (ANZ534, 537, 543).
- Small Craft Advisory — 5 PM Saturday to 1 AM Sunday, same southern waters (ANZ534, 537, 543), as winds pick back up on an easterly flow later in the weekend.
Boaters on the Bay and tidal Potomac should expect choppy conditions and plan accordingly — small craft should stay in port during these windows.
Severe Weather & Flooding Outlook
Nothing severe expected tonight or Saturday. The next real weather-maker arrives Sunday afternoon into Sunday night, when a retreating warm front combined with an approaching low will bring showers and thunderstorms back across the entire state — best chances in the northern and western counties Sunday, spreading statewide by Sunday evening. Beyond that, LWX flags a multi-day unsettled stretch next week with daily shower chances and a legitimate flooding concern brewing: AKQ notes a Marginal Risk of excessive rainfall Monday and a Slight Risk Tuesday. Coastal flooding also becomes a concern by midweek as onshore winds strengthen — worth keeping an eye on if you’re near tidal water on the Shore or in Southern Maryland.
Heat, Humidity & Winds
Humidity drops noticeably behind tonight’s front — a welcome change after a sticky week. Winds tonight run light out of the north/northeast (roughly 3-10 mph inland), strengthening toward the coast and Bay where advisory-level gusts are expected. Saturday stays breezy near Ocean City (NE around 16 mph) while inland areas see only a light easterly breeze.
Chesapeake Bay & Marine
Small Craft Advisories cover nearly all of the Bay and tidal Potomac at various points between tonight and early Sunday morning (see Active Hazards above) as a northerly wind surge builds tonight, eases Saturday afternoon, then picks back up on easterly flow for the southern waters Saturday evening. Mariners should check the specific zone timing before heading out this weekend.
Overnight Lows By Zone
| Western Mountains | ~54° |
| Cumberland/Hagerstown | ~57° |
| Frederick/Carroll | ~58° |
| Baltimore/DC Corridor | ~62° |
| Southern Maryland | ~65° |
| Eastern Shore | 65-67° |
| Ocean City | ~70° |
Looking Ahead
Saturday is the pick of the weekend — cooler, drier, mostly sunny statewide with highs in the mid 70s to low 80s. Sunday flips the script: showers and thunderstorms develop, especially over the northern and western counties by afternoon, spreading south and east through the evening as a warm front retreats and a storm system approaches. Highs Sunday still reach the low-to-mid 80s in central and southern Maryland ahead of the rain, with wetter, cooler weather settling in for much of next week — highs dropping into the 60s by Tuesday as a more autumn-like pattern takes hold.
Data: NWS Baltimore/Washington, Mount Holly & Wakefield.
MD Weather Alerts — your director’s-cut forecast, corner to corner of the Free State. Sleep well, Maryland.