Timing Of Weekend Nor'easter: Maryland Weather

MARYLAND — The nor'easter moving up the East Coast will drop an inch or two of rain across Maryland over the next 24 hours, the National Weather Service advised. Officials from the agency are predicting strong winds and intensifying rain from Friday night through Saturday morning in Maryland.

Most of the state will receive 1 to 1.5 inches of rain between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Some areas in higher elevations may see up to 2 inches.

Forecasters said a low-pressure system was moving up from the southeast. "By Friday night, much of the mid-Atlantic into the Appalachians will see rain, which could become heavy at times overnight as the low pressure system begins to intensify more rapidly near the mid-Atlantic coast," weather officials advised.

Rain was expected to reach the Potomac River by mid-afternoon and metro Baltimore before dark Friday, according to the National Weather Service. The forecast shows rain hitting Bowie and Bethesda between 6 and 8 p.m. and reaching Annapolis, Baltimore and Bel Air by 8 p.m. Rain will be steady until around 1 a.m., when it is expected to begin tapering off through the morning hours. The chance of rain decreases to below 50 percent after 10 a.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a small craft advisory, gale warning and hazardous weather outlook for the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac in advance of the storm.

• The small craft advisory means boaters with smaller vessels should avoid operating due to imminent winds of 18 to 33 knots. The small craft advisory is in effect from 6 to 11 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26, as well as 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27.
• A gale warning, issued when winds of 34 to 47 knots are imminent or occurring, is also in effect from 11 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26, to 5 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27. Recreational boaters should seek safe harbor before gale conditions hit. The hazardous weather outlook for central Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay notes the gale warning as something to pay attention to in the hours ahead.
• The Eastern Shore may see gusts up to 40 mph Friday night, according to a hazardous weather outlook for Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties calling for moderate to heavy rain Friday afternoon and evening with minor flooding possible in poorly drained areas.

The strongest winds will be along the coast Friday night into Saturday morning, "with weather conditions typical of a nor'easter," officials said.

A nor'easter can bring cold air, rain, wind and sometimes snow. Temperatures in Maryland will be in the 40s and 50s Friday and Saturday, with wind gusts up to 23 mph in most of the central part of the state. Gusts around Maryland beaches and the Eastern Shore could reach 40 mph.

As the storm intensifies and moves north, forecasters say parts of inland New England may see snow.

"Rain is expected to be the predominant precipitation type with this storm, but mixed precipitation across upstate New York to northern New England with accumulating snow and ice is possible, especially in the higher terrain," the National Weather Service advised Friday. "Rain may also change over to snow or a rain/snow mix farther south into portions of the Central Appalachians as cold air deepens on the backside
of the storm. In addition to the heavy rain, gusty winds, coastal flooding and isolated severe thunderstorms in the coastal Carolinas will also be a concern as this storm moves through."

Nor'easters develop within 100 miles of the coast from New Jersey to Georgia when cold air and warm water meet as the polar jet stream blows cold air south and east from Canada, hitting the Gulf Stream, a warm current in the Atlantic. Typically, the storms appear between September and April, officials say. This weekend's storm will be in part energized by what was Category 5 Hurricane Wilma, according to forecasters.

7-Day Central Maryland Forecast

Here is the forecast for the Baltimore-Washington area, according to the National Weather Service:

Friday: Mostly cloudy, with rain likely after 4 p.m. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. There will be a high near 52 and a low of 48 degrees. Daytime east wind of 7 mph, increasing in the evening to 10 to 15 mph with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of night rain is 100 percent, with 0.75 to 1 inch possible.

Saturday: Rain likely, mainly before 8 a.m. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. Cloudy, with a high near 56 and low of 46 degrees. Northeast wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph during the day. Evening will bring a northwest wind 5 to 9 mph.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59 and low of 47. In the morning, light west wind will be 5 to 10 mph. There's about a 20 percent chance of daytime showers after 2 p.m Chance of evening showers is 50 percent.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 59, dropping to 43 degrees at night.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 59 and a low around 45.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 65 and a low of 53 degrees.

Thursday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

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Graphic of rain forecast courtesy of the National Weather Service. Image via Shutterstock.

The stage is set for the first nor'easter of the season to develop along the East Coast by Saturday. Unsettled weather to continue for the northwestern U.S. into the northern Plains and the Midwest. https://t.co/LtPh9PzzE5 pic.twitter.com/WEYo35Ov2Q
— NWS (@NWS) October 25, 2018