Temps To Drop Nearly 30 Degrees: Timeline For MD Arctic Blast

MARYLAND — Wednesday morning's brief dusting of snow was a reminder that it's winter, even though the Baltimore-DC region hasn't had a significant snowfall yet. But bitter cold temperatures are on their way to Maryland later this week, with temperatures forecast to plummet into the low teens after weeks of unseasonably warm weather.

The brief but powerful surge of cold weather will be sent sharply south from the Arctic, according to AccuWeather.

"A shift of the polar vortex will be at the heart of the brief cold blast in the Northeast," AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

The air will hit the region late Friday, with temperatures dropping to around 16 degrees in the Baltimore metro, and 14 degrees in the DC suburbs that night. The AccuWeather "real feel" will be as low as 8 degrees in the region late Friday into early Saturday.

The differential from Thursday morning to Friday night in the region could be as nearly 30 degrees. For the week, the high temperature at Baltimore-Washington International Airport on Monday was 59 degrees. For Saturday, AccuWeather is forecasting a high of only 30 degrees in Baltimore.

"Even though the harshest cold will be felt in northern New England, areas as far south as New York City and Washington, D.C., will feel the difference," AccuWeather reported.

A storm system dropped a dusting to half an inch across the D.C. area early Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service said. Because air and pavement temperatures were mostly at or above freezing, the snow accumulated on grass, but not on roads, and has melted.

The 0.4 inches recorded at Reagan National Airport was the fifth-latest measurable snow on record for D.C., according to The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang. At Dulles International Airport, the 0.4 inches recorded was the latest measurable snow on record; the previous latest measurable snow was Jan. 27 in 2009.

Frigid temperatures arrive on Friday night across Maryland, with a breeze likely sending wind chills to the single digits.

On Saturday, high temperatures will reach only into the upper 20s or low 30s, according to the Capital Weather Gang. After a cold Saturday night, the region is expected to return to above-normal temperatures on Sunday, with highs in the mid- to upper-40s.

For each day next week, temperatures are forecast to reach into the low 50s, with a chance of rain showers later in the week.

Here is the National Weather Service's Baltimore area weather forecast for the next few days.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 40. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Southwest wind 7 to 13 mph becoming west after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34. Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 16.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 30.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36.