MD Weather: Record High Set, Snow Chance This Weekend

MARYLAND — Tropical air surged into Maryland Thursday, smashing high temperature records set in the 1800s. But winter will return Saturday with a chance of snow in the state, the National Weather Service said.

The official high for Feb. 23 is 78 degrees at Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Reagan National Airport, both set in 1874, the NWS said. The record high at Dulles Airport is 77 degrees, set in 2017.

Record high temperatures were broken Thursday at Reagan National and BWI Airport, the NWS said. At 4 p.m. the high at BWI Airport was 79 degrees, while the high at Reagan National was 81 degrees.

Thursday was the fourth-warmest February day on record, the agency said.

Instead of cold and snow, millions of residents in the South saw warmth that is well above the historical average, according to AccuWeather forecasters. In what has already been a mild winter for some, many locations will soon have weather that is more typical of May or June than February.

"A southerly breeze will usher warm air across the southern United States through Thursday, allowing temperatures to rise into the 80s, making residents ... wonder if it is early summer rather than late winter," AccuWeather Meteorologist Haley Taylor said.

Seasonal temperatures return Friday night with a low around 28 and a slight chance of snow before 1 p.m. Saturday, then a chance of rain and snow between 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday, the NWS forecast says.

In cities farther north such as Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., there will be a 24-hour temperature change of 20-30 degrees, AccuWeather said. The high temperature in the nation's capital on Wednesday was 54 degrees, while it should reach the low 80s there Thursday afternoon.

Temperatures will drop back to seasonal averages by the weekend in the Southeast, but remain above average through the rest of February and into at least early March, AccuWeather predicts.

Here's the forecast for the Baltimore region:

Thursday: Scattered sprinkles before noon. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 79. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 50. Southwest wind 7 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 54. Breezy, with a northwest wind 17 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. North wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.

Saturday: A slight chance of snow before 1pm, then a slight chance of rain and snow between 1pm and 4pm, then a slight chance of rain after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. East wind 6 to 9 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 56.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37.

Monday: Rain likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50. Chance of precipitation is 70%.