Maryland Weather Forecast: Expect High Winds, Thunderstorms

TAKOMA PARK, MD — Strong winds and thunderstorms hit Maryland Wednesday afternoon, causing some serious damage in parts of the state. Showers are likely and a thunderstorm is possible Wednesday night. The National Weather Service also issued a wind advisory that will be in effect from 10 p.m. Wednesday until 10 a.m. Thursday.

A Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services spokesman Pete Piringer warns Maryland residents to use extreme caution around downed and damaged power lines. Don't remove fallen tree limbs or other debris from lines and treat all wires as if they're live.

The rain will stop Thursday, but it will continue to be breezy with 21-25 mph winds. Snow showers are likely Friday morning, as well as high winds up to 16-21 mph in the afternoon.

Here's the full forecast from the National Weather Service:

Wednesday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 10pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 10pm and 1am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 43. Windy, with a west wind 21 to 26 mph, with gusts as high as 48 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 50. Breezy, with a west wind 21 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph.

Thursday Night: A slight chance of snow showers after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday: Snow showers likely, mainly before 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Breezy, with a northwest wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 42.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 25.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 47.

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

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 63.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47.

Tuesday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 66. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday Night: A chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58.

Photo: Kensington home via Pete Piringer