The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for all of Maryland west of the Chesapeake Bay. The watch is in effect through 9 p.m. Friday evening.
(UPDATE: The storms blew through around dinnertime, with some spectacular cloud formations, like the one at left. Anyone else get some good shots? Send 'em in. Earlier post resumes.)
There is nothing nearby on the radar yet, but there does seem to be a line of storms developing well to our north, in Pennsylvania, where Severe Thunderstorm Warnings are posted. There are also some severe storms to our southwest, in SW Virginia. The Severe T-Storm Warning there is pretty remarkable, calling for "hen egg-sized hail" and wind gusts to 70 mph. Yikes!.
Here's why we don't drive in hail storms. And here are some tips for staying safe.
In the meantime, the mercury has reached 89 degrees this afternoon here at The Sun. It's 87 down at BWI-Marshall. The record high for Baltimore on this date is 95 degrees, set in 1956.
(SUN PHOTO/Frank D. Roylance)