Alert archive / Maryland / Snow Squall Warnings in 2026

Snow Squall Warning 8, NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly

January 1, 2026Kent County, New Castle County, Delaware; 4 counties in Maryland

NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued this snow squall warning at Jan 1, 2026, 5:34 AM EST for Kent County, New Castle County, Delaware; 4 counties in Maryland. It was in force for 56 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Jan 1, 2026, 5:34 AM EST (10:34 UTC)
Expired: Jan 1, 2026, 6:30 AM EST
In force: 56 min
Issued by: NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Kent County, DE, New Castle County, DE, Caroline County, MD, Kent County, MD, Queen Anne's County, MD, Talbot County, MD

The radar

The Dover AFB radar (KDOX), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:35 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 00:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 110 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1317 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 69 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 227 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 332 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

147 
WWUS51 KPHI 011034
SQWPHI

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Snow Squall Warning
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
534 AM EST Thu Jan 1 2026

DEC001-003-MDC011-029-035-041-011130-
/O.NEW.KPHI.SQ.W.0008.260101T1034Z-260101T1130Z/
New Castle DE-Kent DE-Talbot MD-Queen Anne's MD-Caroline MD-Kent MD-
534 AM EST Thu Jan 1 2026

The National Weather Service in Mount Holly NJ has issued a

* Snow Squall Warning for...
  Southwestern New Castle County in northern Delaware...
  Kent County in central Delaware...
  Talbot County in eastern Maryland...
  Queen Anne's County in northeastern Maryland...
  Caroline County in eastern Maryland...
  Kent County in northeastern Maryland...

* Until 630 AM EST.

* At 534 AM EST, a dangerous snow squall was located along a line
  extending from Port Penn to Lake Shore, moving southeast at 20 mph.

  HAZARD...Flash freeze on roads. Intense bursts of heavy snow and 
           gusty winds leading to blowing snow and rapidly falling 
           visibility. Wind gusts up to 50 mph could knock down tree 
           limbs and blow around unsecured objects.

  SOURCE...Radar and webcams.

  IMPACT...Travel will become difficult and potentially dangerous 
           within minutes.

Locations impacted include...
Dover, Middletown, Easton, Centerville, Talbot, Smyrna, Milford,
Chestertown, Denton, Centreville, Harrington, Camden, Clayton,
Greensboro, Oakland, Delaware City, Ridgely, Cheswold, Rock Hall, and
Trappe.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Wet roadways will quickly freeze. Black ice will cause roads,
bridges, and overpasses to become slick and dangerous. Slow down and
be prepared for a sudden loss of traction.

Slow Down! Rapid changes in visibility and road conditions are
expected with this dangerous snow squall. Be alert for sudden
whiteout conditions.

&&

LAT...LON 3904 7631 3898 7628 3909 7623 3915 7628
      3932 7618 3938 7577 3958 7578 3965 7562
      3901 7521 3864 7613 3878 7629 3884 7627
      3879 7619 3893 7620 3897 7625 3890 7628
      3896 7631 3884 7637 3885 7638
TIME...MOT...LOC 1034Z 325DEG 17KT 3953 7555 3911 7647 

SNOW SQUALL...OBSERVED

$$

Gorse

The office that day

Everything else NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jan 1, 4:44 AM EST	Snow Squall Warning	PHI	New Castle	46 min
Jan 1, 6:31 AM EST	Snow Squall Warning	PHI	Kent, Sussex	44 min

Nearby

Snow Squall Warnings in Maryland, 2026 Snow Squall Warnings in Delaware, 2026 Every snow squall warning in 2026

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.