Maryland, 2012

Dense Fog in Maryland, January 23, 2012

January 23, 2012 · NWS LWX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Low pressure tracked through the central portion of the country while surface high pressure remained off the New England Coast. Warm and moist air overran surface cold air while a light snowpack remained on the ground.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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.

Low pressure tracked through the central portion of the country while surface high pressure remained off the New England Coast. Warm and moist air overran surface cold air while a light snowpack remained on the ground. The warm and moist air interacted with the surface cold air and snowpack, causing areas of dense fog to develop.

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.

NWS Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 23, 3:49 AM EST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 23, 3:49 AM EST, 0 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 23, 3:22 AM EST, 27 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Northern Baltimore

When
January 23, 3:49 AM EST to 1:52 PM EST
Where
Northern Baltimore forecast zone
Reported by
Unknown
Coordinates
39.443, -76.616 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Visibility was estimated to be around one quarter mile across the northern portion of the county.

Dense Fog, Carroll

When
January 23, 3:49 AM EST to 9:45 PM EST
Where
Carroll forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
39.563, -77.022 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Visibility was reported to be around one quarter mile at Westminster.

Dense Fog, Howard

When
January 23, 3:50 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where
Howard forecast zone
Reported by
Unknown

Visibility was estimated to be around one quarter mile across the county.

Dense Fog, Montgomery

When
January 23, 3:55 AM EST to 3:55 PM EST
Where
Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS

Visibility was reported to be around one quarter mile at Gaithersburg.

Dense Fog, Frederick

When
January 23, 5:45 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Frederick forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
39.472, -77.398 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Visibility was reported to be around one quarter mile at Frederick.

Dense Fog, Washington

When
January 23, 7:02 AM EST to 12:02 PM EST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
39.604, -77.814 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Visibility was reported to be around one quarter mile at Hagerstown.

Dense Fog, Prince Georges

When
January 23, 7:39 AM EST to 1:45 PM EST
Where
Prince Georges forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.830, -76.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Visibility was reported to be around one quarter mile at Andrews Air Force Base.

Dense Fog, Anne Arundel

When
January 23, 7:58 AM EST to 9:45 PM EST
Where
Anne Arundel forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
38.994, -76.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Visibility was reported to be around one quarter mile at BWI Airport.

What these are

Dense Fog
Fog reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less, filed where it caused accidents or disruption.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Maryland in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, January 2012

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 362221, 362228, 362222, 362223, 362226, 362225, 362230, 362229.