Hail, Frederick
- When
- October 18, 9:04 PM EST
- Where
- Frederick County, 0.4 mi S of Wolfsville
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 39.574, -77.551
A cold front moved through the Mid Atlantic in the evening. A strong low level jet increased the shear in the low levels and updrafts were able to maintain themselves.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS LWX wrote it up.
A cold front moved through the Mid Atlantic in the evening. A strong low level jet increased the shear in the low levels and updrafts were able to maintain themselves. Thunderstorms developed and hail was the main threat.
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 Oct 18, 8:16 PM EST, 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
916 PM EDT THU OCT 18 2012
.SYNOPSIS...
A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE MID ATLANTIC EARLY FRIDAY. AN
UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL THEN PERSIST ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN
STATES THROUGH SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD BACK ACROSS THE
REGION FROM THE WEST SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY...AND CONTINUE WELL INTO
NEXT WEEK.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/...
CNVTCN FLARING UP LATE THIS EVE AS MAIN PRE-FRONTAL TROF PASSES
THRU HIGHLANDS. CLUSTERS OF SHWRS/TSTMS ALONG/AHEAD OF THIS
FEATURE...AS FAR EAST AS WRN DC/BALT METRO. 0Z SOUNDING HAS
IMPRESSIVE WIND FIELD...SO STRONGER CELLS MAY CONT GUSTY WINDS AND
EVEN DMGG DOWNBURSTS. IN ADDITION...0C AND -20C LVLS ARE VERY
LOW...AND HAIL IS A RISK. TIMING OF ACTIVITY HAS CONTINUALLY
SLOWED WITH SUCCESSIVE MESOSCALE GUIDANCE RUNS...SO POPS ADJUSTED
ACCORDINGLY. BEST CHC OF SVR WX WILL BE BEFORE ABOUT 2 AM EDT.
SHWRS LIKELY TO CONT WELL INTO THE NGT...GRADUALLY ENDING FROM W
TO E BEFORE SUNSET. WHEN PCPN WANES...SATURATED LOW/MID LVLS AND
DECOUPLG NEAR THE SFC WILL SUPPORT AT LEAST PATCHY FOG DVLPMNT.
PREV DISCUSSION FOLLOWS...
PRECIPITATION WILL LAG BEHIND THE BOUNDARY DURING AT LEAST THE FIRST
PART OF FRIDAY ESPECIALLY OVER EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST
AREA. WILL KEEP CHANCES MUCH OF THE MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON
HOURS. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL STILL RISE ABOVE NORMAL DURING FRIDAY
BUT CONDITIONS WILL BE NOTICEABLY DRIER.
&&
.SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/...
SPRAWLING CLOSED LOW EJECTS NORTHEAST FROM THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES
FRIDAY NIGHT...WITH AN UPR TROUGH PERSISTING ACROSS THE MID ATLANTIC
THROUGH SATURDAY. SFC HIGH PRESSURE SOUTH OF THE LOW...WILL BUILD
EAST INTO THE MID ATLANTIC THROUGH THIS TIME...LIMITING THE EXTENT
OF PRECIP TO THE POTOMAC HIGHLANDS AND NORTHWESTERN ZONES. ONE
EXCEPTION OCCURS AS THE TROF AXIS PUSHES EAST ACROSS THE MID ATLANTIC
SATURDAY AFTERNOON. COMBINATION OF PVA AND PEAK HEATING COULD
CAUSE SHOWERS INTO THE WRN BALT-WASH SUBURBS...WHERE SLIGHT CHANCE
POPS WERE INTRODUCED. TEMPERATURES RETURN TO NORMAL FOR THE
WEEKEND AS MID CONTINENTAL AIR BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST WITH THE
HIGH PRESSURE. MIN TEMPS FRIDAY NIGHT MID TO UPR 30S IN THE
POTOMAC HIGHLANDS...LOW TO MID 40S PIEDMONT AND WEST...LOW 50S
COASTAL PLAINS. MAX TEMPS SATURDAY LOW TO MID 60S WEST OF THE BLUE
RIDGE...MID TO UPR 60S EAST.
&&
.LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/...
SATURDAY NIGHT WELL INTO NEXT WEEK...A DOMINATING RIDGE BUILDS IN
THE WAKE OF THE GREAT LAKES LOW WITH A SFC HIGH PERSISTING ACROSS
THE E-CNTRL CONUS PERHAPS THROUGH NEXT WEEK /PER RECENT ECMWF RUNS/
OR PERHAPS SHUNTING TO THE SERN CONUS BY MID NEXT WEEK WITH A WEAK
COLD FRONT ENTERING THE MID ATLANTIC /PER RECENT GFS RUNS/. DRY AND
SEASONABLE SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WITH A SLIGHT WARMING TREND...NO
FREEZES EXPECTED THROUGH NEXT WEEK. ONLY SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR THE
POTOMAC HIGHLANDS IN THE MIDWEEK FOR NOW.
&&
.AVIATION /01Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
SHWRS/TSTMS ONGOING AT 1Z FOR MRB/IAD/CHO...AND WILL SPREAD INTO
RMNG TAF SITES BY 3Z. LOCALIZED STRONG WINDS PSBL WITH STRONGER
ACTIVITY...AND SPORADIC/SIGNIFICANT RESTRICTIONS LIKELY THRU 6Z.
THEREAFTER...GUIDANCE SUGGESTS FOG CUD SET IN...SO WENT IFR FOR
VSBYS AREAWIDE.
CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE FROM WEST TO EAST MID TO LATE MORNING
FRIDAY OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL SECTIONS AND DURING THE AFTERNOON
OVER THE EAST.
SWLY FLOW SHIFTS NWLY FRIDAY NIGHT BEHIND THE ACTUAL COLD FRONT. UPR
TROUGH KEEPS MID LEVEL CLOUDS AND POSSIBLE LIGHT RAIN NW OF
BALT-WASH /INCL KMRB/ SATURDAY AFTERNOON. HIGH PRESSURE AND VFR THEN
SATURDAY NIGHT WELL INTO NEXT WEEK. MORNING FOG CHANCES MONDAY AND
TUESDAY NIGHTS.
&&
.MARINE...
SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO RAMP UP FOR THE REMAINDER OF
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH GUSTS APPROACHING 25 TO 30 KTS AT
TIMES. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL
CROSS THE WATERS LATER TONIGHT. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD MIX DOWN
STRONGER GALE FORCE WIND GUSTS. WILL MONITOR THIS POTENTIAL
THROUGHOUT THIS EVENING.
COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE WATERS OVERNIGHT INTO FRIDAY BUT SMALL
CRAFT CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY
EVENING.
SLY FLOW CONTINUES INTO FRIDAY EVENING BEFORE VEERING WLY. CONTINUED
SCA UNTIL 8PM FRIDAY. WLY FLOW BELOW SCA CRIT THEN SAT/SUN AS HIGH
PRESSURE BUILDS. HIGH PRESSURE OVERHEAD/TRANQUIL MONDAY THROUGH THE
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.
&&
.TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...
ANOMALIES AOA 1 FT ABV NRML ACRS POTOMAC SHORES...SO RAISED ADZY
FOR THESE LOCATIONS. PREV DISCUSSION FOLLOWS...
INCREASING SOUTHERLY FLOW AND CHANNELING AIDING IN POSITIVE TIDAL
ANOMALIES MAINLY OVER THE WESTERN CHESAPEAKE BAY. COASTAL FLOOD
ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM CALVERT NORTH TO HARFORD FOR TIDE
RISES ABOUT ONE FOOT ABOVE ASTRONOMICAL PREDICTION FOR THE NEXT
CYCLE. TIDES WILL RECEDE OVERNIGHT AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH.
&&
.LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
DC...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY UNTIL 2 AM EDT FRIDAY FOR DCZ001.
MD...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY UNTIL 2 AM EDT FRIDAY FOR MDZ007-011-
013-014-018.
VA...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY UNTIL 2 AM EDT FRIDAY FOR VAZ054.
WV...NONE.
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM EDT FRIDAY FOR ANZ530>534-
536>543.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM NOON TO 6 PM EDT FRIDAY FOR
ANZ530>532-535-536-538>540-542.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM NOON TO 8 PM EDT FRIDAY FOR ANZ533-
534-537-541-543.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT FOR ANZ535.
&&
SYNOPSIS...BAJ/KONARIK
NEAR TERM...KONARIK/KRW
SHORT TERM...BAJ
LONG TERM...BAJ
AVIATION...BAJ/KONARIK/KRW
MARINE...BAJ/KONARIK/KRW
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...KONARIK/KRW<!doctype html>
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</html>The Sterling radar (KLWX), 67 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:04 UTC.
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maryland in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, October 2012
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: 416426.