Crisp, Sunny, and Breezy — Plus a Coastal Flood Watch You’ll Want to Know About

Good morning. Per NWS Baltimore/Washington (issued 3:08 AM) and NWS Mount Holly (3:44 AM), today is a repeat of the quiet, dry stretch we’ve settled into — sunny skies, highs mostly in the upper 60s to lower 70s, and a brisk north wind that’ll be the main character of the day, especially the closer you get to the Bay or the coast. The real story continues to be a slow-churning nor’easter spinning offshore, which isn’t bringing us rain but is cranking out onshore winds strong enough to cause repeated rounds of coastal and tidal flooding through midweek. Frost was also an early-morning visitor across the higher ground and the Piedmont.

Timing at a Glance

• 6–9 AM: Patchy frost lingering in spots across Frederick/Carroll and interior valleys; a Frost Advisory was in effect overnight for parts of northern Virginia, not Maryland, but similar chill touched our western and northern counties too.
• Midday: Sunshine takes over everywhere, winds pick up out of the north, gusty near the Bay and the coast.
• Afternoon: Highs peak generally 65–71° inland, cooler at Ocean City (mid 60s) thanks to the stiff onshore flow — wind gusts near 20-25 mph at the beaches.
• Tonight: Clear to mostly clear, temperatures fall back into the 30s west, 40s elsewhere, 50s at the coast. High tide cycle tonight brings renewed coastal flooding concerns.

Western Maryland

Garrett County (Deep Creek/Oakland): Sunny and crisp, around 66° this afternoon (low-mid 60s), with light NE winds under 5 mph. Tonight clear and cold, down to 36° — a jacket-and-gloves kind of evening if you’re out on the lake.

Allegany County (Cumberland): Sunny, high near 71° (upper 60s to low 70s), light north wind 2-6 mph. Clear tonight, low 41°.

Northern & Central Maryland

Washington County (Hagerstown): Sunny, high 70° (upper 60s to low 70s), breezier than the mountains with north winds 5-9 mph. Clear tonight, low 42°.

Frederick & Carroll Counties: Patchy frost early, then sunny skies, high near 69° (upper 60s). North wind 3-9 mph. Clear tonight, low around 44°.

Baltimore Metro

Baltimore City & County, Harford, Howard, Anne Arundel: Full sunshine, high 71° (upper 60s to low 70s), and a steadier north wind around 10 mph — noticeable if you’re out and about, especially near the water. Mostly clear tonight, low 49°. This is also where Bay-adjacent spots (Anne Arundel, Baltimore County shoreline) need to watch the tide — see Hazards below.

DC Suburbs

Montgomery & Prince George’s Counties: Sunny, high 69° (upper 60s), north wind around 10 mph. Clear tonight, low 47°. A comfortable, dry day for anything outdoors.

Southern Maryland

Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s: Sunny and breezy, high 68° (mid-upper 60s), with north winds 9-13 mph — among the gustier spots away from the coast. Clear tonight, low near 50°. Tidal Potomac and Patuxent River shorelines should keep an eye on elevated tides tonight into Wednesday.

Upper Eastern Shore

Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Caroline: Sunny, high 70° (upper 60s to low 70s), with a noticeably brisk north wind 10-15 mph. Mostly clear tonight, low 47°. Expect some chop on the Chester, Choptank, and Eastern Bay.

Lower Eastern Shore

Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset: Sunny, high 69° (upper 60s), north winds 9-15 mph. Mostly clear tonight, low 47°, with just a trace precip chance overnight into Wednesday (1%) — essentially dry.

Ocean City & the Coast

Worcester County: This is where the nor’easter makes its presence felt. Sunny but notably cooler than inland, high only around 65°, with strong north winds 20-25 mph sustained — a genuinely blustery beach day. Tonight stays breezy and milder (low 53°) under a northeast wind near 24 mph as onshore flow keeps pumping. High Surf Advisory remains up for building seas and rough surf, with elevated rip current risk — the surf looks lively but swimming conditions are poor. Coastal Flood Watch continues for Worcester’s immediate coast and inland bayside areas with Coastal Flood Advisory also posted; expect saltwater intrusion onto low-lying roads (Coastal Highway flooding spots, South Point, Assateague bayside) around the high tide cycles.

Active Hazards

Severe & Flooding Threat

No severe weather or rainfall flooding is expected today. The flooding concern is entirely tidal/coastal, driven by the offshore nor’easter pushing water into the Bay and tidal rivers. Confidence is high that Annapolis, Solomons Island, and Dahlgren-area gauges reach minor flood stage by tonight’s or Wednesday’s high tide, with Annapolis flirting with moderate flood stage. This pattern should persist in rounds through Friday before the low finally pulls away.

Winds, Heat/Humidity & Bay Conditions

Humidity is a non-issue — crisp, dry fall air is in full control. Winds are the headline: generally north 5-15 mph inland, gusting higher near the Bay shoreline and in Southern Maryland, and a blustery 20-25 mph sustained at Ocean City. Secure any loose patio furniture or lightweight decorations before tonight. On the water, Small Craft Advisories remain posted across essentially all Maryland tidal waters into Wednesday morning — not a day for small boats on the Bay.

Tonight’s Lows by Zone

Looking Ahead

Wednesday brings more of the same script: sunny, dry, slightly cooler with highs in the mid-60s to upper 60s inland and low-to-mid 60s at the coast, still breezy. Wednesday night into Thursday morning looks like the coldest night of the stretch for the Piedmont and western counties — patchy frost possible again, with some spots dipping into the mid-upper 30s. Thursday itself stays dry and sunny with highs back into the mid-upper 60s as the nor’easter finally gets absorbed into the jet stream and tracks off toward Maine, which should start easing the coastal flooding threat by late week.

Data: NWS Baltimore/Washington, Mount Holly & Wakefield.
MD Weather Alerts — straight talk on Maryland’s weather, county by county. Stay dry, hold onto your hats today.