Maryland, 2019

Ice Storm in Maryland, December 16 to 17, 2019

December 16 to 17, 2019 · NWS PBZ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An initial shortwave ahead of a trough over the central CONUS crossed the region on December 16th. Snow fell initially, with accumulations of 1 to 3 inches reported by the morning hours.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 PBZ wrote it up.

An initial shortwave ahead of a trough over the central CONUS crossed the region on December 16th. Snow fell initially, with accumulations of 1 to 3 inches reported by the morning hours. However, a mix with freezing rain occurred by the evening hours as a warm layer developed aloft. Garrett County saw a longer period of freezing rain that areas to the west due to its position near a stationary frontal boundary and continued dynamic cooling from southeast upslope flow. Icing continuing through the night into the morning of the 17th, eventually leading to significant ice accretion.

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 Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 16, 1:25 AM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 16, 1:25 AM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 15, 11:15 PM EST, 4 hours 45 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 16, 12:18 AM EST, 3 hours 42 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 16, 12:45 AM EST, 3 hours 15 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 16, 1:13 AM EST, 2 hours 47 minutes before
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Event by event

1 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Garrett

When
December 16, 4:00 AM EST to December 17, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Garrett forecast zone
Reported by
911 Call Center

Around one half inch of ice accretion was measured across the county in total. Garrett County 911 reported 30-40 separate incidents involving trees and/or power lines being downed due to severe icing. A few spotters reported that the main roads in the county were in good shape overall due to pretreatment, although some slick spots remained on secondary routes.

What these are

Ice Storm
Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Maryland in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, December 2019

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: 869755.