A taste of summer in April

Central Maryland may need to hit the AC switch - at least in our cars - Tuesday and Wednesday as the big high-pressure system now over the eastern half of the country begins to pull away. The return flow around the backside of the high's clockwise circulation will pull warm, moist air up from the Gulf of Mexico and bring us a taste of summer.

The forecast highs for Tuesday and Wednesday poke into the mid-80s in the current predictions out of Sterling. They're calling for a high of 84 at BWI on Tuesday, and 86 on Wednesday.

UPDATE: The mercury has reached 83 degrees this afternoon at BWI, besting the forecast high of 78.

We haven't seen the 80s around here since Oct. 9, when the high at BWI was 83 degrees. There haven't been two consecutive days in the 80s since Sept. 23/24. And we have not reached 86 degrees since last summer, on Aug. 26, when the high at the airport was 88 degrees.

There is even some chance for thundershowers this (Monday) afternoon, although that's more likely to our west and south, forecasters say. Thunderstorms return to the forecast for Thursday as a cold front pushes through. That front will drop our highs back in to the more seasonable 50s and 60s for the weekend. The lows will sink into the 30s.

It may feel like summer, but we're not out of the woods yet. Baltimore has had measurable snow in April as recently as 2007.

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And, it's worth noting that there are still piles of snow here and there from our February storms.

The photos show snow alongside the hourly parking garage at BWI. Thanks to Jonathan Dean for the photos, which were taken today - Monday April 5.

A snow heap out on the airfield finally melted away over the weekend, he reports. Here's a similar shot - snow and blossoms - from the UMB campus in Baltimore.

Speaking of snow, the cold front due Friday could bring new flakes to Maryland's far-western counties, mixed in with predicted rain showers, forecasters say..

As warm - hot, even - as it may feel here Tuesday and Wednesday, we are not expected to set any new records.

The record highs for April 6 and 7 are in the 90s. Specifically, the record high for an April 6 in Baltimore was 90 degrees in 1929. The record for the 7th is 93 degrees, set in the same year.

The three consecutive daily record highs set that week still stand.

A taste of summer in April

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