Surface high pressure was in place over the northeastern United States during the overnight hours of February 19th. At the same time, low pressure was tracking northeastward from the south central US.
Every event with a place to put it; 18 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Surface high pressure was in place over the northeastern United States during the overnight hours of February 19th. At the same time, low pressure was tracking northeastward from the south central US. Strong warm air advection and associated frontogenetical forcing led to a period of moderate to heavy snow that spread northeastward across the state of Maryland, especially along and northwest of Interstate 95, on the morning of February 20th. As warmer air continued to move in aloft, precipitation then transitioned over to sleet and then freezing rain during the afternoon hours. By later that evening, the primary low was moving through the Great Lakes region as a secondary low moved along the Mid-Atlantic coastline. Eventually enough warm air moved into the region, changing all precipitation over to rain during the overnight hours on the 20th.
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 Feb 20, 3:50 AM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC 842 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019 ANZ530>543-DCZ001-MDZ011-013-014-016>018-508-VAZ052>057-210145- Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD- Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD- Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD- Chesapeake Bay from North Beach to Drum Point MD- Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA- Tidal Potomac from Key Bridge to Indian Head MD- Tidal Potomac from Indian Head to Cobb Island MD- Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA- Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor- Chester River to Queenstown MD-Eastern Bay- Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River- Patuxent River to Broomes Island MD- Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island-District of Columbia-Southern Baltimore-Prince Georges- Anne Arundel-Charles-St. Marys-Calvert-Southeast Harford- Prince William/Manassas/Manassas Park-Fairfax- Arlington/Falls Church/Alexandria-Stafford-Spotsylvania- King George- 842 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay, Tidal Potomac River, and adjacent counties in central Maryland and northern Virginia as well as the District of Columbia. .DAY ONE...Tonight A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for much of the area beginning at 1 AM tonight. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Spotsylvania and Stafford Counties in Virginia and southern Maryland beginning at 1 AM tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories continue through Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are asked to reports significant wintry weather via normal operating procedures. MDZ003>006-501>507-VAZ025>031-036>040-050-051-501>508-WVZ050>053- 055-501>506-210145- Washington-Frederick MD-Carroll-Northern Baltimore- Extreme Western Allegany-Central and Eastern Allegany- Northwest Montgomery-Central and Southeast Montgomery- Northwest Howard-Central and Southeast Howard-Northwest Harford- Augusta-Rockingham-Shenandoah-Frederick VA-Page-Warren-Clarke- Nelson-Albemarle-Greene-Madison-Rappahannock-Orange-Culpeper- Northern Fauquier-Southern Fauquier-Western Highland- Eastern Highland-Western Loudoun-Eastern Loudoun- Northern Virginia Blue Ridge-Central Virginia Blue Ridge- Hampshire-Morgan-Berkeley-Jefferson-Hardy-Western Grant- Eastern Grant-Western Mineral-Eastern Mineral-Western Pendleton- Eastern Pendleton- 842 PM EST Tue Feb 19 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for eastern West Virginia, northern and central Virginia, and central and western Maryland with the exception of Garrett County. .DAY ONE...Tonight A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for all areas beginning late this evening. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday A Winter Storm Warning continues for all areas into Wednesday night. Additional rain and snowmelt may lead to flooding of rivers and creeks Saturday night into early next week. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are asked to reports significant wintry weather via normal operating procedures. DHOF
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html><!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html><!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 winter storm, 7 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall amounts of 6 to 7 inches were observed across western Allegany County, with 6.5 inches reported near Frostburg. A tenth to two-tenths of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported.
Snowfall amounts of 6 to 8 inches were observed across central and eastern Allegany County, with 7.5 inches reported near Cumberland. Around a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported.
Snowfall amounts of 3 to 7 inches were observed across Washington County, with 6.8 inches reported near Hancock. A few hundredths to a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported.
Snowfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches were observed across Charles County.
Snowfall amounts of 1 to 1.5 inches were observed across St. Mary's County.
Snowfall amounts of 1 to 1.5 inches were observed across Calvert County.
Snowfall amounts of 4 to 7 inches were observed across Frederick County, with a local maximum of 7.5 inches measured near Sabillasville. A few hundredths to a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported, with a local maximum of a quarter of an inch reported near Thurmont.
Snowfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches were observed across Carroll County, with a maximum of 6.2 inches measured near Gamber. A few hundredths to a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported.
Snowfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches were observed across northwest Montgomery County, with a maximum of 6.1 inches measured near Germantown. A few hundredths of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported.
Snowfall amounts of 4 to 5 inches were observed across central and southeast Montgomery County, with a maximum of 5.2 inches measured near Rockville. A few hundredths of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported.
Snowfall amounts of 4 to 5 inches were observed across northwest Howard County, with 4.7 inches measured near Roxbury Mills. A few hundredths to a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported.
Snowfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches were observed across central and southeast Howard County, with 5.7 inches measured near Simpsonville. A few hundredths of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported.
Snowfall amounts of 4 to 5 inches were observed across southern Baltimore County, with a maximum of 5.3 inches measured near Middle River. A few hundredths of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported.
Snowfall amounts of 4 to 5 inches were observed across northern Baltimore County, with 4.5 inches measured near Bentley Springs. A few hundredths to a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported.
Snowfall amounts of 3 to 4 inches were observed across northwest Harford County, with 3.0 inches reported near Scarboro. A tenth to two tenths of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported.
Snowfall amounts of 3 to 4 inches were observed across northwest Harford County, with a maximum of 4.3 inches reported near Fallston. A few hundredths of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported.
Snowfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches were observed across Anne Arundel County, with a maximum of 5.0 inches reported near Severn. A few hundredths of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported.
Snowfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches were observed across Prince Georges County, with 4.9 inches reported near Savage. A few hundredths of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maryland in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, February 2019
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: 803435, 803436, 803437, 803446, 803447, 803448, 803438, 803439, 803440, 803441, 803442, 803443, 803444, 803445, 803449, 803450, 803451, 803452.