MD Thanksgiving Weather Forecast: Wind Advisory, Power Outages

BALTIMORE, MD — While parts of the country are dealing with a winter snowstorm, high temperatures in the 50s across Maryland bring another kind of weather hazard for this Thanksgiving. Residents should expect strong winds Wednesday heading into Thursday afternoon — gusts could reach 50 miles per hour, and that could mean power outages.

The region is under a wind advisory from 8 p.m. Wednesday to 1 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. That means winds will be around 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph across much of Maryland, the District of Columbia and northern Virginia. Damaging winds could knock down trees and bring down power lines, leading to widespread outages, the agency said.

Drivers traveling for Thanksgiving should use caution in these conditions, and residents should secure outdoor items that winds could send flying.

The wind advisory applies to all or parts of Carroll, Baltimore, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, Montgomery, Howard and Harford counties.

Also included in the advisory are the cities of Baltimore, Eldersburg, Westminster, Reisterstown, Cockeysville, Bowie, Suitland-Silver Hill, Clinton, College Park, Greenbelt, Laurel, Camp Springs, Glen Burnie, Annapolis, Severn, South Gate, Severna Park, Arnold, Odenton, Germantown, Damascus, Bethesda, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, Lisbon, Columbia, Ellicott City, Jarrettsville, and Aberdeen.

Important Maryland Utility Numbers Include:

• PEPCO: 1-877-737-2662
• Baltimore Gas and Electric (BG&E): 1-877-778-2222 or 1-800-685-0123
• First Energy/Potomac Edison: 1-888-544-4877
• SMECO: 1-877-747-6326 or 1-888-440-3311
• Washington Gas: 1-800-752-7520
• Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission: 1-800-828-4002

Tips For Drivers

The Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration reminds drivers to check www.md511.org for travel alerts and conditions, follow the agency on Twitter, or "like" its Facebook page.

If your route includes toll bridges, check out wind warnings and restrictions criteria on the authority's website. To check if wind restrictions are in place at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge check online or call 1-877 BAYSPAN.

Here's the forecast for the rest of the long holiday weekend in Maryland:

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42. Breezy, with a west wind 14 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 48 mph.

Thanksgiving Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52. Breezy, with a northwest wind 16 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. Northwest wind 7 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 49. North wind 5 to 9 mph.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Saturday: A chance of rain after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 44. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday Night: Rain. Low around 35. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Sunday: Rain. High near 48. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Sunday Night: A chance of rain showers before 1am, then a chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Chance of precipitation is 50%.