Baltimore-area residents enjoyed an extra hour of daylight Sunday thanks to daylight saving time, but wind gusts and snow flurries made it feel more like winter than the cusp of spring.
As a combination of high winds and plummeting temperatures sent wind chills into the 30s, scattered snow flurries fell throughout the day and were expected to resume Sunday night.
The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory through 5 p.m. Monday for the Baltimore-Washington area. Forecasters say those in central, northern and southern Maryland, along with Washington and northern Virginia, should expect winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 55 mph.
The weather service said unsecured items could be blown around and tree limbs could be knocked down, with power outages a possibility. Baltimore Gas and Electric was reporting more than 7,200 customers were affected by power outages as of 8 p.m. Sunday.
Forecasters also urged people to use extra care when driving.
The Maryland Transportation Authority put in place wind restrictions on the Bay Bridge early Sunday evening, limiting travel to one lane in each direction, which led to backups. The agency also issued wind warnings on other spans.
Coastal flood warnings were in effect for the District of Columbia, with gale warnings applying to all waters.
The National Park Service closed the Washington Monument early Sunday afternoon due to high winds, the agency said.
The wind advisory began at 10 a.m. Sunday, hours before the start of Baltimore’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.
Sunday began with sunshine and blue skies, but by midafternoon snow flurries were falling around the region, even as the sun was shining.
The high temperature at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport was expected to reach 47 degrees, with gusts reaching 46 mph.
Temperatures were expected to dip to around freezing overnight.
The forecast Monday is for sunny skies. Expect a high temperature of 51 degrees and wind gusts as high as 48 mph.
Temperatures will dip to 38 degrees Monday night, and then, wow, what a change.
The forecast is for sunny skies with a high of 65 degrees on Tuesday, sunny with a high of 68 on Wednesday, and sunny with a high of 71 on Thursday. Lower temperatures and rain will then move into the area for St. Patrick’s Day weekend.