The Maryland year
Eight chapters, each with its own mark. The mark in the footer of every page, and the season line above each headline, change on the first day of each one.
Late winter
February 1 – March 19
American holly, green all winter
In Maryland, American holly grows mostly along both Bay shores and the I-95 corridor, and is naturally absent from the Piedmont and the mountains of Western Maryland. Trees are male or female, and only the females carry the red berries, which matter to birds wintering in the region.
Source: University of Maryland Extension · checked September 20, 2026
Spawning rivers close March 1
From March 1 through May 31, Maryland closes its striped bass spawning rivers to fishing for them: the Choptank, Chester, Manokin, Nanticoke, Patuxent, Transquaking and Wicomico, and the Upper Bay spawning area including the Susquehanna Flats. Elsewhere in the Bay it is catch-and-release only until May 1.
Source: Maryland DNR, 2026 striped bass regulations · checked September 20, 2026
The Bay shore thaws first
Spring's last freeze comes earliest near the water. The typical last 32° night is around March 23 at the Annapolis Naval Academy station, March 24 at Reagan National and March 27 at Annapolis Police Barracks, from the 1991–2020 normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI, 1991–2020 climate normals · checked September 20, 2026
Spring
March 20 – May 31
When the last freeze usually comes
The typical last 32° night of spring is around April 7 at Hagerstown's airport, April 10 at BWI and at Salisbury, April 29 at Savage River Dam, and May 6 at Oakland in Garrett County. These are the even-chance dates from the 1991–2020 normals, so tender plants are safer a little later.
Source: NOAA NCEI, 1991–2020 climate normals · checked September 20, 2026
The orioles come back
The Baltimore oriole has been Maryland's state bird since 1947. The Department of Natural Resources says to look for migrating orioles returning to Maryland from March through April. It is the mark for spring on this site.
Source: Maryland DNR · checked September 20, 2026
Crab season opens April 1
Maryland's recreational blue crab season in the Chesapeake opens April 1 and runs to December 15. Recreational crabbing is not allowed on Wednesdays, with exceptions for pots on private property, handlines and dip nets, and for holiday weeks.
Source: Maryland DNR fishing regulations (eRegulations) · checked September 20, 2026
Rockfish harvest opens May 1
Under Maryland's 2026 rules, Chesapeake Bay striped bass can be kept from May 1 through July 31: one fish a person a day, 19 to 24 inches. There was no spring trophy season in 2026.
Source: Maryland DNR, 2026 striped bass regulations · checked September 20, 2026
Early summer
June 1 – June 30
Terrapins come ashore to nest
The diamondback terrapin became Maryland's state reptile in 1994. Around late May, terrapins emerge to mate, nest and bask on coastal dunes and narrow sandy beaches. It is the mark for early summer here.
Source: Maryland Manual, Maryland State Archives · checked September 20, 2026
Hurricane season begins June 1
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. The early weeks are usually quiet; the statistical peak is September 10, with most activity from mid-August to mid-October.
Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center · checked September 20, 2026
The ocean is warming up
NOAA's long-term monthly averages at the Ocean City Inlet climb from about 60° in May to 68° in June and 73° in July. The gauge is at the inlet rather than the surf, so the beach can run a little different.
Source: NOAA NCEI Coastal Water Temperature Guide · checked September 20, 2026
High summer
July 1 – August 20
How many 90° days are normal
BWI averages 33.9 days a year at 90° or hotter, from the 1991–2020 normals. Reagan National averages 40.0, Salisbury 30.4 and Hagerstown's airport 23.8.
Source: NOAA NCEI, 1991–2020 climate normals · checked September 20, 2026
Rockfish close for August
Maryland closes Chesapeake Bay striped bass fishing from August 1 through August 31, including catch-and-release. The season reopens September 1.
Source: Maryland DNR · checked September 20, 2026
The blue crab’s name
The blue crab has been Maryland's state crustacean since 1989. Its scientific name translates as 'beautiful swimmer that is savory.' It is the mark for high summer here.
Source: Maryland Manual, Maryland State Archives · checked September 20, 2026
The ocean at its warmest
NOAA's long-term monthly averages at the Ocean City Inlet peak at about 75° in August, just above July's 73° and September's 74°.
Source: NOAA NCEI Coastal Water Temperature Guide · checked September 20, 2026
Late summer
August 21 – September 15
The black-eyed Susan
The black-eyed Susan has been Maryland's state flower since 1918, and blooms between May and August. It is the mark for late summer on this site.
Source: Maryland Manual, Maryland State Archives · checked September 20, 2026
The tropics’ busiest weeks
The statistical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is September 10, and most activity comes between mid-August and mid-October. For Maryland this is the stretch to watch for tropical rain and coastal flooding.
Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center · checked September 20, 2026
Rockfish reopen September 1
After the August closure, Chesapeake Bay striped bass harvest reopens September 1 under Maryland's 2026 rules: one fish a person a day, 19 to 24 inches, through December 5.
Source: Maryland DNR, 2026 striped bass regulations · checked September 20, 2026
Early autumn Now
September 16 – October 31
The first freeze starts in Garrett
In a typical year the first 32° night reaches Oakland around October 9, and Savage River Dam around October 20. The rest of the state waits longer: Salisbury around October 30, BWI around October 31, Hagerstown's airport around November 4. These are the dates with an even chance of a freeze by then, from the 1991–2020 normals, so any given year can run a couple of weeks either way.
Source: NOAA NCEI, 1991–2020 climate normals · checked September 20, 2026
Color starts in the mountains and rolls east
Maryland's leaves turn first in Garrett, Allegany and Washington counties. Frederick, Carroll, Baltimore, Harford and Cecil follow, mainly because of elevation and temperature, and the change then spreads south and east. DNR's foresters put Washington County's usual peak in the last week of October, and the Lower Shore typically turns at the very end of the season.
Source: Maryland DNR Fall Foliage Report · checked September 20, 2026
Rockfish are back in season
Chesapeake Bay striped bass reopened for harvest on September 1 after the August closure, and the season runs through December 5. The 2026 limit is one fish per person per day, between 19 and 24 inches. From December 6 it is catch-and-release only.
Source: Maryland DNR, 2026 striped bass regulations · checked September 20, 2026
Past the peak of hurricane season
The Atlantic season's statistical peak is September 10, and most activity falls between mid-August and mid-October. The season officially runs until November 30, so Maryland still watches the tropics through fall.
Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center · checked September 20, 2026
The white oak is Maryland’s tree
The white oak has been the state tree since 1941. Its most famous example was the Wye Oak at Wye Mills on the Eastern Shore. It is the mark for this part of the year on this site.
Source: Maryland Manual, Maryland State Archives · checked September 20, 2026
Late autumn
November 1 – November 30
The freeze reaches the Bay last
The Bay keeps its shoreline mild into late fall. The typical first 32° night comes around November 13 at Annapolis Police Barracks, November 18 at Reagan National, and November 20 at the Annapolis Naval Academy station, weeks after Garrett County's.
Source: NOAA NCEI, 1991–2020 climate normals · checked September 20, 2026
The ocean is cooling fast
At the Ocean City Inlet, NOAA's long-term monthly averages drop from about 66° in October to 56° in November and 48° in December. The gauge sits at the inlet rather than in the surf, but the trend is the same on the beach.
Source: NOAA NCEI Coastal Water Temperature Guide · checked September 20, 2026
The last weeks for keeping a rockfish
The 2026 harvest season for Chesapeake Bay striped bass closes on December 5: one fish a day, 19 to 24 inches. From December 6 through April 30 it is catch-and-release only.
Source: Maryland DNR, 2026 striped bass regulations · checked September 20, 2026
Crab season ends December 15
Maryland's recreational blue crab season in the Chesapeake runs from April 1 to December 15. Recreational crabbing is not allowed on Wednesdays, with exceptions for pots on private property, handlines and dip nets, and for holiday weeks.
Source: Maryland DNR fishing regulations (eRegulations) · checked September 20, 2026
The rockfish is the state fish
Maryland made the striped bass, or rockfish, its state fish in 1965. The state record for a Chesapeake Bay rockfish is 67 pounds 8 ounces, caught in 1995. It is the mark for late autumn here.
Source: Maryland Manual, Maryland State Archives · checked September 20, 2026
Winter
December 1 – January 31
How much snow a normal winter brings
The 1991–2020 normals put BWI's average seasonal snowfall at 19.3 inches, Reagan National's at 13.7 and Salisbury's at 8.0. Oakland, up in Garrett County, averages 104.9 inches. That is why the same storm can be rain in Ocean City and a snow day in the mountains.
Source: NOAA NCEI, 1991–2020 climate normals · checked September 20, 2026
Wisp opens in December
Wisp Resort in Garrett County opened for its 70th winter season on December 5, 2025. Recent openings were December 6 in 2024 and December 15 in 2023, as the resort announced them.
Source: Wisp Resort · checked September 20, 2026
The coldest water of the year
NOAA's long-term averages at the Ocean City Inlet bottom out at about 42° in January and 40° in February, the coldest of the year, before the slow climb back to the mid-70s in August.
Source: NOAA NCEI Coastal Water Temperature Guide · checked September 20, 2026
Oyster season on the Bay
Maryland's most recent recreational oyster season ran October 1 to March 31: Monday through Saturday, sunrise to noon, 100 oysters a person a day at a 3-inch minimum. The Department of Natural Resources publishes each season's dates, so check theirs for this year.
Source: Maryland DNR fishing regulations (eRegulations) · checked September 20, 2026