2022 Summer Forecast For Maryland: Inland Hurricane, Less Heat

MARYLAND — Residents of Maryland can expect fewer heat waves but increased odds of an inland hurricane called a derecho, according to AccuWeather’s 2022 summer forecast released Wednesday.

Senior Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said the long-term weather pattern this year is similar to 2012, a summer that produced a derecho across the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic. A derecho is a complex of thunderstorms that produces destructive wind gusts of more than 58 mph and is sometimes referred to as an "inland hurricane."

The areas at the highest risk of experiencing the impacts of a derecho, Pastelok said, are the Midwest, Ohio Valley and parts of the mid-Atlantic.

While a predicted wet pattern this summer will fuel severe weather, it will help to limit the potential for heat waves across the regions.

Last summer in the nation's capital, the mercury hit 90 degrees on 48 occasions above the long-term average of 40 days. A repeat could unfold this summer in Washington, D.C., with 42 to 46 days expected to reach 90 degrees this year.

Pastelok said while daytime temperatures will average near normal in the eastern half of the country this summer, overnight temperatures will be well above normal. This means that there will be less natural cooling at night.

Southeast, Atlantic Seaboard On Alert For Tropical Trouble

Vacationers to the Southeast and Atlantic coast should not bank on a beach day every day. “You're still going to get a hot day here and there, and I do think it's going to be a decent but not a great beach summer," Pastelok said.

Also, an early tropical storm system could create problems in the central Gulf Coast, including most of Florida and the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the forecast says. The hurricane season is expected to ramp up in late summer and early fall.

Though the season for trips to the beach, vacations and other outdoor fun doesn’t officially begin until the summer solstice on June 21, meteorological summer starts June 1, AccuWeather said.

Whether you live in a specific area or are planning a vacation, here’s what you need to know about summer 2022:

Rain, Tornadoes, Derechos

People living in the Northeast and Midwest can expect a wet spring to continue into summer. That could disrupt some summer activities. But look at it this way: You won’t have to water the lawn as much, Pastelok said. On the other hand, “you’re going to have to probably cut the lawn often,” and finding a window to do that may be difficult.

More moisture could mean more-severe storms, including damaging tornadoes, in the Northeast through midsummer and in the Midwest in June and July.

• Related: MD 2022 Hurricane Season Forecast: What To Know

Last summer, there were four tropical systems that spun up near the U.S. coast between mid-June and mid-July, with Tropical Storm Claudette, Tropical Storm Danny and Hurricane Elsa all making landfall. Tropical Storm Bill was the only one of the bunch not to make landfall but spun up just off the coast of the Carolinas and was close enough to land to create disruptions at the beaches.

The areas at the highest risk for an early-season tropical impact include the central Gulf Coast and most of Florida, but other regions, including North Carolina's popular Outer Banks, cannot be completely ruled out from an early-season impact.

Weather analysts at Colorado State University's Department of Atmospheric Science in Fort Collins estimate that the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season will be an active one that produces 19 named storms, nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes (reaching wind speeds of 111 mph and up).

Major hurricanes are category 3, 4 and 5 storms on the Saffir/Simpson scale. They have maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph.

The hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

Meteorologists are concerned about some weather pattern similarities to 2012, a summer that produced a derecho that ripped across the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic. A derecho is essentially an inland hurricane with destructive winds at least 58 mph that spans at least 240 miles.

This year, the areas at the highest risk of a derecho are the Midwest, Ohio Valley and parts of the mid-Atlantic.