Severe Storms, Possible Tornadoes Threaten Baltimore Monday Afternoon

Wind gusts up to 75 mph, isolated tornadoes, flash flooding, and hail are all on the table for Baltimore Monday afternoon, with the worst conditions expected to arrive between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. A Weather Alert Day has been issued for the region covering the full range of threats during that window.

Kevin Witt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington forecast office, said conditions will deteriorate rapidly once the afternoon arrives. "By the afternoon, wind speeds will pick up ahead of the storm to about 30 mph to 40 mph," Witt said. "Once the storm hits the Baltimore area around 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, wind gusts could get up to 75 mph."

His advice to anyone with Monday plans is direct: "If you're taking care of errands and doing stuff on Monday, pay attention to any warnings that may come out, whether its tornado warnings or thunderstorm warnings or flash flood warnings." He added that once the afternoon hits, "things are going to go downhill pretty quickly."

Morning rain showers may take some edge off the storm's severity, Witt said, but will not eliminate the risk. Winds of 30 to 40 mph are expected to persist even after the main system passes. The day will start warm, with temperatures reaching the high 60s, before plunging sharply overnight into a wintry mix of rain and snow. Witt projected temperatures around 34 degrees by Tuesday morning.

The Monday system arrives with recent precedent weighing on local forecasters. Meteorologist Gerard Jebaily posted on Facebook that a lower-end EF-1 tornado was confirmed near Cooksville, west of Baltimore, from Wednesday evening's storms, describing it as "very short duration." Jebaily labeled Monday a "Second Severe Risk" day and wrote that "damaging winds likely again and possibly another tornado threat" are possible, while noting the final outlook will depend on how conditions develop Monday morning.

WBAL-TV 11 News described Sunday's increasing clouds as a direct prelude to Monday's threat, noting that storms capable of damaging winds and isolated tornadoes are possible across the Baltimore region. The cold front trailing the system will drop temperatures back into the 30s on Tuesday and Wednesday before a warm-up returns by the end of the week, just ahead of the spring equinox on Friday.