Maryland, 2004

Cold in Maryland, January 10, 2004

January 10, 2004 · NWS LWX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Very cold Arctic air settled over Western Maryland, North Central Maryland and the Baltimore Metropolitan area. The minimum temperatures ranged from the single digits to the lower teens, and north winds measured 10 to 15 mph.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS LWX wrote it up.

Very cold Arctic air settled over Western Maryland, North Central Maryland and the Baltimore Metropolitan area. The minimum temperatures ranged from the single digits to the lower teens, and north winds measured 10 to 15 mph. This produced wind chills on the average of 10 degrees below zero. The City of Baltimore issued a "Code Blue and opened the Federal Street shelter because of the bitter cold air. There were dozens of cases of broken water mains and pipes.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 9, 4:35 AM EST, 20 hours 25 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
435 AM EST FRI JAN 9 2004

DCZ001-MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ021-025>031-036>042-
050>057-WVZ048>055-091700-
ALBEMARLE VA-ALLEGANY MD-ANNE ARUNDEL MD-
ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA VA-AUGUSTA VA-BERKELEY WV-
CALVERT MD-CARROLL MD-CHARLES MD-CLARKE VA-CULPEPER VA-
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DC-FAIRFAX VA-FAUQUIER VA-FREDERICK VA-
FREDERICK MD-GRANT WV-GREENE VA-HAMPSHIRE WV-HARDY WV-HARFORD MD-
HIGHLAND VA-HOWARD MD-JEFFERSON WV-KING GEORGE VA-LOUDOUN VA-
MADISON VA-MINERAL WV-MONTGOMERY MD-MORGAN WV-NELSON VA-
NORTHERN BALTIMORE MD-ORANGE VA-PAGE VA-PENDLETON WV-
PRINCE GEORGES MD-PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK VA-
RAPPAHANNOCK VA-ROCKINGHAM VA-SHENANDOAH VA-SOUTHERN BALTIMORE MD-
SPOTSYLVANIA VA-ST. MARYS MD-STAFFORD VA-WARREN VA-WASHINGTON MD-

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MARYLAND WEST OF THE CHESAPEAKE
BAY EXCEPT GARRETT COUNTY...EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA...NORTHERN AND
CENTRAL VIRGINIA...AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

.DAY ONE...
LIGHT SNOW WILL FALL OVER THE AREA TODAY. ONE TO TWO INCHES IS
EXPECTED FROM THE WESTERN VIRGINIA HIGHLANDS TO THE CENTRAL VIRGINIA
FOOTHILLS. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THERE. ELSEWHERE
ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE AN INCH OR LESS.

TONIGHT WILL BE VERY COLD WITH LOWS TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 5 AND 15.
NORTH WINDS AT 10 TO 15 MPH WILL MAKE IT FEEL LIKE ZERO TO 10 BELOW
ZERO. BUNDLE UP IF YOU ARE HEADED OUT TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
THERE IS A CHANCE OF SNOW AGAIN WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED.

RDH

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Frederick

When
January 10, 1:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Frederick forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.472, -77.398 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Washington

When
January 10, 1:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.604, -77.814 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Allegany

When
January 10, 1:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Allegany forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Cold/Wind Chill, Carroll

When
January 10, 1:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Carroll forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.563, -77.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Baltimore

When
January 10, 1:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Baltimore forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.443, -76.616 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Baltimore

When
January 10, 1:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Baltimore forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.367, -76.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Prince Georges

When
January 10, 1:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Prince Georges forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.830, -76.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Anne Arundel

When
January 10, 1:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Anne Arundel forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.994, -76.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Maryland in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, January 2004

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5381721, 5381722, 5381723, 5381724, 5381725, 5381726, 5381727, 5381817.