Tornado, severe storms batter Harford Co., Baltimore region

An intense, widespread storm system spawned at least one tornado Friday and battered parts of the Baltimore region with damaging winds and torrential rain, halting flights and flooding roads during rush hour.

Severe storms spawning tornado warnings across region

8:57 p.m. Tornado warning until 9:30 p.m. for Frederick, Carroll, western Baltimore and NW Howard counties, including Eldersburg, Westminster, Hampstead and Manchester.

Weekend beach forecast: Stormy, then pleasant

Once Friday afternoon's storms pass through, Ocean City is in for a pleasant weekend.

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Summer-like heat made spring 2012 warmest on record

Summer-like heat waves throughout the past three months have made it the warmest meteorological spring on record at BWI Marshall Airport. A stubborn rainfall deficit made it the sixth-driest spring on record, to boot.

Friday forecast: Mostly cloudy, rain, high near 83

The National Weather Service is calling for Friday to be mostly cloudy in the Baltimore area, with a high near 83 and east winds between 8 and 17 miles per hour. There is a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m., and some storms could be severe.

Rain was frequent but not plentiful in May

May 2012 will finish with at least 21 days during which at least a trace of rain was measured at BWI Marshall Airport, a turnaround from an extended dry spell in April. But it hasn't helped May rainfall totals.

Thursday forecast: Sunny, high near 84

The National Weather Service is calling for Thursday to be sunny in the Baltimore area, with a high near 84 and north winds between 8 and 10 miles per hour.

Beryl wets Maryland beaches as it regains strength

Tropical Depression Beryl could regain tropical storm status within the next few hours as it moves off the South Carolina coast. But its impact on Maryland is nevertheless expected to remain minimal.

Tuesday evening storms drenched parts of central Maryland

The line of strong thunderstorms that stretched from Virginia to Boston on Tuesday night drenched some parts of central Maryland, but added little to the region's official rain tally at BWI Marshall Airport.

Wednesday forecast: Cloudy, high near 84

The National Weather Service is calling for Wednesday to be mostly cloudy in the Baltimore area, with a high near 84 and south winds between 4 and 7 miles per hour. There is a 30 percent chance of scattered showers.

Beryl unlikely to bring Maryland rain

Beryl, the second named storm of the 2012 hurricane season, is unlikely to bring any of the rain it has dumped on Florida and Georgia to Maryland.

Muggy weather to break Wednesday

The hot and humid weather that dominated Memorial Day weekend is lingering over Maryland one more day, but it should move out by Wednesday morning.

Tuesday forecast: Increasing clouds, showers, high near 91

The National Weather Service is calling for Tuesday to be increasingly cloudy, with a high near 91 and southwest winds between 7 and 10 miles per hour. There is a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5 p.m. The weather service warns that a few of these storms may be capable of producing damaging winds and large hail.

Air quality alert issued for Baltimore

Air quality will be poor in Baltimore on Sunday, according to state officials.

Drought conditions moderating across Maryland

Sporadic rains have helped moderate drought conditions that had spread across most of the state, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Beach forecast: A nice start to summer

Hot weather in the Baltimore area should drive many to Ocean City this weekend, where cooler weather and sunshine should greet them.

Friday forecast: Partly sunny, high near 84

The National Weather Service is calling for Friday to be partly sunny, with a high near 84 and winds becoming southerly between 4 and 7 miles per hour. Some areas will see fog before 8 a.m. The chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Forecasters predict subdued hurricane season

Forecasters are expecting the fewest Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms since 2009, particularly if the weather phenomenon El Niño develops by the heart of the hurricane season.

Thursday forecast: Mostly cloudy, some showers, high near 81

The National Weather Service is calling for Thursday to be mostly cloudy in the Baltimore area, with scattered showers, a high near 81 and southeast winds between 5 and 13 miles per hour. The chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Memorial Day weekend to kick off summer with heat, humidity

The weather is going to feel downright summer-like this weekend -- fitting for the unofficial start to the summer season.

SpaceX rocket carries Maryland science project into space

As the space capsule called Dragon hurtled toward the International Space Station at about 17,500 miles per hour on Friday, no space enthusiast was more enthralled than Paul Warren, a self-described "nerd" who attends Henry E. Lackey High School in Charles County.

Wednesday forecast: Patchy morning fog, cloudy, high near 80

The National Weather Service is calling for Wednesday to be cloudy in the Baltimore area, with patchy fog in the morning, a high near 80 and southeast winds between 5 and 8 miles per hour. There is a 70 percent chance of precipitation.

Venus to appear alongside crescent moon for last time in 2012

Venus’ adornment alongside the moon in the western sky this spring will soon be no longer.

About the Weather Blog

Scott Dance is a blogger for The Baltimore Sun, covering the weather and breaking news. He is a native of Timonium and began to develop his reporting chops at The Diamondback at the University of Maryland, College Park. After a stint covering Lowcountry life in Beaufort, S.C., Scott spent five years covering all sides of Baltimore's startup and corporate cultures for the Baltimore Business Journal. He is a Patterson Park resident. Follow him on Twitter at @MdWeather. Scott also answers readers' weather queries for the newspaper and the blog. Frank Roylance, who began this blog, retired in October 2011.