Power Outage in Easton, MD

Several reports of power lines down and numerous power outages in portions of the Easton area. Time estimated from radar.

US-50 westbound was closed between Schwaninger Rd and Landing Neck Rd due to downed power lines. Time estimated from radar.

Multiple observations of 40 to 50 mph sustained winds with higher gusts were received. There were several reports of downed trees and power lines.

Reports of downed power lines wear Windy Hill Road and Bruceville Road. Time estimated from radar.

Downed power lines near Lewistown Road in Matthews. Time estimated from radar.

Several reports of trees and wires downed near US-50 and MD-565. Power outages also reported in the area. Time estimated from radar.

More than 25 trees were downed on county roads due to a combination of high winds and wet ground. Some trees were three to four feet around and 70 to 90 feet tall. State routes 328 and 329, as well as U.S. Route 50, were affected. Power was knocked out in a few areas, but no widespread outages were reported. A wind gust of 48 mph was recorded by the AWOS unit at Easton Airport at 0750EST on March 2nd.

Several lightning strikes, leading to over 1,100 people without power.

Strong winds blew a tree into a power pole in the Cedar Point area.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down several trees and caused power outages in the northern part of Easton.

A lightning strike caused power outages in and around Easton for about forty-five minutes during the late evening of the 1st. Easton Utilities reported outages in Stoney Ridge, Clifton, Waylands and Corbin Park. Overnight the effects of the evening thunderstorm caused a tree to fall across Maryland State Route 33 just west of Easton and east of Maryland State Route 370. The roadway was closed for about two and a half hours until 8 a.m. EDT on the 2nd until the tree was removed.

A severe thunderstorm on Tilghman Island, knocked down several very large trees, poles and electrical wires at the entrance to Black Walnut Point. Another half dozen large trees were knocked over on Bar Neck Road and also damaged the power lines and power meters to several homes. In addition, sheds and patio furniture was overturned. One boat was also damaged as was the screened porch of another home. The same severe thunderstorm knocked down a very large tree that blocked Elston Shore Road in Neavitt.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down large tree limbs and power lines in Easton.

A severe thunderstorm tore down some large tree limbs and wires in Easton and caused scattered power outages.

A lightning strike that hit a power line caused outages to about 300 customers in the Easton Utility service area in Easton. Traffic lights were also knocked out.

A severe thunderstorm overturned a tractor-trailer on Maryland State Route 328 in Matthews. No injuries were reported. About 5,000 homes and businesses lost power because of the series of thunderstorms throughout the day on the 4th in Talbot County.

A line of showers and thunderstorms rolled across the Eastern Shore of Maryland during the afternoon of the 31st. Some of the thunderstorms produced strong winds, which downed trees and power lines in Easton and Trappe around 3:10 PM EDT.

Severe storms knocked down several trees, tree limbs, poles and wires in western Talbot County. About 370 Delmarva Power and Light customers lost power. Wind damage was reported in Bozman, Easton, Saint Michaels and Tilghman.

A powerful system moved through the Eastern Shore of Maryland, bringing damaging wind gusts with scattered strong to severe thunderstorms.

After a significant heatwave, a cold front approached the mid-Atlantic on July 1, 2021. A potent mid-level trough was also digging southward through southern Ontario and into the Great Lakes region, and a strong upper level jet streak was present downstream the trough axis, over the interior mid-Atlantic and northern New England. This strong upper level forcing combined with the approaching front and a lingering warm, moist air mass ahead of it caused widespread thunderstorm development on July 1. Storms occurred almost exclusively south of Interstate 78, in the environment of best instability. A number of storms became severe, taking the form of mainly linear and multi-cellular clusters but with some embedded supercellular characteristics. Straight line wind damage was the primary hazard, with a number of reports of downed trees and power outages due to winds. With the cold front remaining to the west, some storm activity continued into the overnight, but storm coverage and intensity gradually waned with the loss of daytime heating and the overturning of the atmosphere from earlier storms.

A complex area of low pressure over the middle Atlantic, which involved several individual centers, slowly consolidated off the Virginia Capes Tuesday morning, March 20th into Wednesday March 21st along a frontal boundary. This primary low, the fourth nor'easter this month, gradually moved northeast Wednesday night, to a position southeast of the 40 North/70 West ���Benchmark��� coordinates on Thursday morning.||Rain developed across the eastern shore of Maryland on Tuesday morning, March 20th. As this precipitation moved northward into a colder air mass, snow and sleet developed across the northern portion of the eastern shore of Maryland during the Tuesday afternoon hours.||During Tuesday evening, a mixed bag of precipitation developed, with freezing rain, sleet, and snow, expect rain closer to the coast. ||Freezing rain lead to ice accretion up to 0.20��� across the northern portion of the eastern shore of Maryland, causing downed trees and limbs, which impacted power lines, and lead to power outages.||The change over to snow progressed southeast across eastern shore of Maryland by late morning on Wednesday March 21st.||Moderate to heavy snowfall developed, and gradually overspread eastern shore of Maryland from Wednesday morning into the evening. Snowfall rates, particularly outside of the southern portion of the eastern shore of Maryland, were around one inch per hour at times. The snow gradually ended from west to east around midnight. ||Snowfall amounts over the eastern shore of Maryland generally ranged from 8 to 12 inches over Cecil County, 6 to 9 inches over the remainder of the area, with the exception of Queen Anne���s and Talbot Counties, where amounts tapered southward down into the 2 to 4 inch range.||The weight of the heavy, wet snow brought down trees, limbs, and power lines across the northern portion of the eastern shore of Maryland, which led to power outages.

A cold front stalled north of the region on March 1st. Meanwhile, a wave of low pressure developed along this front in the Ohio Valley and move eastward, explosively deepening just Southeast of Long Island on March 2nd. This large and very deep area of low pressure moved slowly just south of due East over the open waters of the North Atlantic Ocean through Sunday March 4th. This lead to a variety of weather hazards during this time frame.||Strong Northwest winds with gusts up to around 60 mph occurred on March 2nd and 3rd. This lead to widespread damage to trees and power lines, leading to extensive power outages across the region.||Heavy rainfall occurred in Cecil County Maryland on March 1st and 2nd, with widespread rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches.||As the rain changed to snow on the 2nd, up to around a Trace of snowfall was observed in Cecil County Maryland.

The combination of an unseasonably hot and humid air mass, an approaching cold front and strong winds aloft caused a squall line of strong to severe thunderstorms to move through the Eastern Shore during the late afternoon and early evening of the 23rd. Delmarva Power and Light reported 63,000 of its customers lost power on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Double barrel low pressure systems brought a winter storm to the Eastern Shore on the 1st. A combination of snow, sleet and especially freezing rain affected the Eastern Shore. Snowfall amounts were less than an inch, but ice accumulations on exposed surfaces reached one-third of an inch and caused power outages. In addition, the icy combination caused hazardous driving conditions.||Precipitation started as snow around 9 a.m. EST on the 1st throughout the Eastern Shore. Precipitation changed briefly to sleet during the late morning and then to freezing rain by early afternoon on the 1st. The freezing rain ended during the middle of the evening on the 1st. ||The freezing rain caused power outages as the ice knocked down weak tree limbs and power lines. Delmarva Power reported about 3,900 of its customers lost power in Maryland and Delaware with the greatest concentration on the Eastern Shore in Queen Anne's and Talbot Counties.||Representative ice accumulation included 0.33 inches in Centreville (Queen Anne's County), 0.30 inch in Millington (Kent County), Elkton (Cecil County) and Childs (Cecil County), 0.25 inches in Kent Island Estates (Queen Anne's County) and Easton (Talbot County). ||Representative snowfall included 0.8 inches in Stevensville (Queen Anne's County) and 0.1 inches in Denton (Caroline County) and Elkton (Cecil County).||The winter storm was caused by the combination of an arctic high pressure system that left plenty of cold air in place near the surface and a low pressure system from the South that pumped precipitation into the region. At 7 a.m. EST on the 1st, a pair of low pressure systems were in Mississippi and the western Gulf of Mexico off the Texas coast. During the early afternoon, while the low pressure system moved into the Tennessee Valley, a new low pressure system was forming off of the South Carolina coast. The latter low pressure system moved rapidly northeast and was off the New Jersey coast at 7 p.m. EST on the 1st while the latter low pressure system became part of a series of lows along a cold front west of the Appalachians. The coastal low pressure system passed near Nantucket, Massachusetts around Midnight EST on the 2nd. It took most of the associated moisture and precipitation with it as the inland low pressure systems and frontal boundary weakened overnight.

The increasing pressure difference (gradient) between a rapidly intensifying low pressure system offshore and an arctic high pressure system moving east from the Great Lakes caused strong to high damaging northwest winds to occur on the Eastern Shore from the evening of the 14th into the early afternoon on the 15th. Strong wind gusts started during the second half of the evening on the 14th, peaked overnight and continued into the early afternoon of the 15th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 55 mph and knocked down or snapped trees and tree limbs. This caused downed wires and widely scattered power outages. The strong to high winds also hampered road crews trying to keep roadways clear from the snow that fell on the 14th. It also ushered into the Eastern Shore one of the coldest air masses of the entire winter season. ||Peak wind gusts included 59 mph in Tolchester Beach (Kent County) and Grasonville and Propsect Bay (Queen Anne's County), 58 mph in Stevensville (Queen Anne's County), 55 mph in Easton (Talbot County) and 54 mph in Royal Oak (Talbot County).||The high winds were caused by the increasing pressure gradient (difference) between the rapidly intensifying offshore low pressure system and a high pressure system over the western Great Lakes. The low pressure system deepened (intensified) from 996 millibars at 7 p.m. EST on the 14th to 978 millibars at 7 a.m. EST on the 15th, 972 millibars at 1 p.m. EST on the 15th and 962 millibars as it passed through Nova Scotia at 7 p.m. EST on the 15th. The arctic high pressure system also was quite strong and averaged 1042 millibars while the highest winds were occurring. The strong to high winds ceased on the afternoon of the 15th when the low pressure system was sufficiently east of the Delmarva Peninsula (and the high pressure system reached Michigan) for the strongest pressure gradient to move offshore.

Strong gusty northwest winds occurred behind a secondary cold frontal passage on the Eastern Shore during the evening and overnight on the 12th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph. Where the strongest winds occurred, some weak tree limbs and power lines were knocked down and isolated power outages occurred. Peak wind gusts included 46 mph in Rock Hall (Kent County), Grasonville (Queen Anne's County) and Tilghman (Talbot County). The strong gusty winds were the result of a combination of an intensifying low pressure system that developed on the cold front east of New Jersey and an approaching high pressure system from the Mississippi Valley. The pressure gradient (difference) was maximized during the evening and winds decreased once the high pressure system reached the Ohio Valley on the morning of the 13th.

Strong, gusty northwest winds occurred in the wake of a departing and intensifying low pressure system during the late afternoon into the middle of the evening on the 2nd on the Eastern Shore. Peak wind gusts average around 45 mph and knocked down weak tree limbs and wires and caused isolated power outages. Peak winds included 48 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (Anne Arundel County), 47 mph in Grasonville (Queen Anne's County) and 44 mph in Royal Oak (Talbot County) and Salisbury (Wicomico County). The strong winds occurred as a low pressure system south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts started to intensify more rapidly as it moved northeast on the evening of the 2nd. This increased the pressure gradient (difference) between it and an approaching high pressure system from the central Mississippi Valley. As the low pressure system approached the Canadian Maritimes during the second half of that evening, the pressure gradient weakened and winds started to slowly decrease.

Strong, gusty northwest winds heralding the arrival of another arctic air mass occurred across the Eastern Shore during the evening of the 30th following the passage of a secondary cold front. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph and knocked down weak tree limbs and power lines. The strongest wind gusts were reported in the lower Eastern Shore and included 46 mph in Easton (Talbot County), 42 mph in Grasonville (Queen Anne's County) and 41 mph at Tolchester Beach (Kent County).

An intense low pressure that passed east of the Delmarva Peninsula overnight on the 1st combined with an approaching high pressure system to bring strong winds into the Eastern Shore mainly during the morning of the 2nd. Peak wind gusts averaged 45 to 50 mph and knocked down weak tree limbs and wires and caused isolated power outages. The tree limb damage was exacerbated by many trees still having leaves as October was unseasonably warm. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 400 of its customers lost power in Cecil County.||Peak wind gusts included 47 mph in Royal Oak (Talbot County) and Rock Hall (Kent County) and 43 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County). A developing low pressure over the Carolinas moved offshore on the morning of November 1st. As it passed east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina during the early evening of November 1st, the pressure gradient (difference) between it and a high pressure system in the Mississippi Valley started to increase and winds became stronger. This pressure difference maximized during the morning of the 2nd. At 7 a.m. EST on November 2nd, the low pressure system was well east of the New Jersey coast and as it reached the coastal waters east of Massachusetts that afternoon, strong winds ceased across the Eastern Shore.

Strong northwest winds followed a strong cold frontal passage along the Maryland Eastern Shore during the late afternoon of the 15th and persisting into the night along Chesapeake Bay. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph and coupled with the rain knocked down some weak tree limbs and wires and caused isolated power outages. Peak wind gusts included 48 mph in Tolchester Beach (Kent County) and 45 mph in Royal Oak (Talbot County) and Salisbury (Wicomico County). The strong gusty winds were caused by the pressure gradient (difference) between the cold front and the approaching high pressure system over the lower Ohio Valley. When the high pressure system reached the upper Ohio Valley on the morning of the 16th, the strong winds ceased.

The strong pressure gradient (difference) between an intensifying strong low pressure system and a high pressure system in the Ohio Valley caused strong northwest winds to occur across the Eastern Shore from the evening of the 12th following a cold frontal passage through the daytime hours on the 13th. Peak wind gusts averaged 45 to 50 mph. The prolonged period of strong winds caused weak tree limbs, trees and power lines to be knocked down and caused widely scattered power outages. About 160 homes and businesses lost power in Cecil County. In addition, the strong wind gusts caused a tractor-trailer ban on the night of the 12th on the William Preston (Chesapeake Bay) Bridge. Empty tractor-trailers were still prohibited from crossing the bridge during the day on the 13th. Peak wind gusts included 48 mph at Tolchester Beach (Kent County), 47 mph at Stevensville (Queen Anne's County), 44 mph in Easton (Talbot County) and 40 mph in Elkton (Cecil County).||The low pressure system responsible for the strong winds emerged from the Rockies on the evening of the 10th. It reached central Missouri on the evening of the 11th and western Pennsylvania on the afternoon of the 12th. It already was an intense 984 millibar low pressure system. The northeast moving 982 millibar low pressure system reached central New Jersey at 8 p.m. EDT on the 12th as its cold front just about cleared the Eastern Shore. The 981 millibar low pressure system was near Boston, Massachusetts at 11 p.m. EDT on the 12th and reached Nova Scotia as a 976 millibar low pressure system at 5 a.m. EDT on the 13th. It continued to move northeast through the Canadian Maritimes during the day on the 13th and very slowly weakened. By evening on the 13th, the high pressure system was close enough to the Eastern Shore that the pressure gradient (difference) weakened and the strong winds stopped.

A winter storm dropped heavy snow across the Maryland Eastern Shore from the morning of the 21st into the morning of the 22nd. The winter storm affected Cecil County the hardest. Snowfall averaged 4 to round 10 inches with the highest amounts in Cecil County. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 2,900 of its customers lost power, mainly in Cecil County.||The heavy snow was caused by a clipper system that tracked out of the Great Lakes region and began transferring its energy to the developing coastal low, resulting in rapid intensification. This strengthening low pressure moved northeast and allowed multiple bands of heavy snow to traverse far northeast Maryland. By late that day, the coastal low emerged east of the Delmarva Peninsula and quickly moved off towards New England, bringing an end to the snow from west to east across the region overnight on the 21st. ||Along the Interstate 95 corridor, temperatures were cold enough for rapid accumulation, and a narrow band of heavy snow in northeast Maryland. Within this general area, snowfall rates reached 2 to 3 inches per hour for a time during the midday hours of the 21st. The rest of the Eastern Shore avoided this heavy snow band and accumulations were less.||Representative snowfall totals included 11.0 inches in Elkton (Cecil County) and in Northeast Heights (Cecil County), 10.2 inches in Colora (Cecil County), 6.5 inches in Millington (Kent County), 6.0 inches in Galena (Kent County) and in Henderson (Caroline County) and also in Denton (Caroline County), 5.9 inches in Easton (Talbot County), 5.0 inches in Elk Neck (Cecil County) and in Stevensville (Queen Anne's County), 4.0 inches in Queenstown (Queen Anne's County) and in Greensboro (Caroline County) and also in St. Michaels (Talbot County).

One of the harshest arctic outbreaks in years occurred across the Eastern Shore on the 7th. Record breaking calendar day low temperatures occurred and combined with strong northwest winds produced wind chill factors as low as 10 to 20 degrees below zero in most areas that morning. High temperatures struggled to reach double digits. The excessive cold caused many schools to have delayed openings. AAA Mid-Atlantic reported an 81 percent increase in service calls, mainly for dead batteries. Amtrak reported extensive delays in its rail service. The cold weather also affected power supplies. PJM Interconnection, the agency that oversees the electric grid supplying the region, said electricity suppliers were struggling to keep up with surging demand as the cold forced some power plants to shut. An all-time winter record usage was recorded at 8 a.m. EST on the 7th, 138,600 megawatts surpassing the previous record from 2007. Utilities asked their customers where possible to switch to diesel or fuel oil. ||Actual low temperatures included 10 degrees in Salisbury (Wicomico County), 8 degrees in Royal Oak (Talbot County), 6 degrees in Tolchester Beach (Kent County) and Tuckahoe (Caroline County), 4 degrees in Centreville (Queen Anne's County) and 3 degrees at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Perryville (Cecil County).| |Lowest hourly wind chill factors included (they all occurred during the morning of the 7th) 18 degrees below zero at the New Castle County Airport in Delaware, 12 degrees below zero at the Bay Bridge Field (Queen Anne's County) and 11 degrees below zero in Easton (Talbot County).

An intense nor'easter brought strong winds across the Eastern Shore on the 6th. Peak wind gusts reached 45 to 50 mph downed weak trees, tree limbs and wires and caused scattered power outages. Downed trees and tree limbs caused isolated structural damage. In Easton (Talbot County), one downed tree fell onto a house. A westbound tractor-trailer overturned on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. In combination with the strong winds, this forced the closure of the bridge on the 6th. The bridge was re-opened to passenger vehicles later that afternoon and to all traffic the next day. Peak wind gusts included 47 mph at Tolchester Beach (Kent County), 46 mph at Royal Oak (Talbot County), 44 mph in Easton (Talbot County) and 42 mph in Chesapeake City (Cecil County). ||The nor'easter low pressure system emerged from the southern Rockies on the 4th and moved into the Tennessee Valley on the morning of the 5th, passed across the southern Appalachians during the evening of the 5th and reached northeastern North Carolina on the morning of the 6th. From there it slowly moved northeast and was off the Delmarva Peninsula on the afternoon of the 6th. It then drifted slowly offshore to the east that evening and that motion continued on the 7th and 8th. The low pressure system was not that intense overall (never deepened to less than 985 millibars near the coast), but a strong high pressure system that was located over southeastern Canada helped intensify the surface pressure gradient (difference) throughout this event.

Strong winds occurred across the Maryland Eastern Shore during the first half of the day on the 31st. The strong winds were further exacerbated by isolated severe thunderstorms that moved through Queen Anne's County during the pre-dawn hours on the 31st. Excluding the severe thunderstorms, peak wind gusts averaged between 45 mph and 50 mph and downed tree limbs and power lines and caused isolated outages. Most of the highest wind gusts occurred in the south to southwest flow preceding the cold frontal passage during the early morning on the 31st. However, nearly as strong wind gusts continued in the westerly flow following the cold frontal passage during the morning on the 31st. The cold front moved through the Eastern Shore between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. EST.||Peak wind gusts included 58 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County), 50 mph in Fredericktown (Cecil County), 47 mph in Royal Oak (Talbot County), 46 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, 45 mph in Easton (Talbot County) and 44 mph in Annapolis (Anne Arundel County). | |The strong to high winds were caused by a land bombing low pressure system that intensified rapidly as it moved through the Great Lakes on January 30th and into Quebec Province on January 31st. The central pressure of the low pressure system over Illinois deepened from 992 millibars at 7 a.m. EST on the 30th to 968 millibars at 7 a.m. EST on the 31st when it was in Quebec Province. The low pressure system continued to deepen and the following morning, the pressure was 944 millibars as it was crossing the Labrador Sea (The lowest analyzed pressure with this system was 940 millibars.). The rapid deepening of the surface low intensified the southerly flow preceding its cold front and then the pressure gradient (difference) between the low pressure system and a high pressure system entering the Northern Plains continued strong winds through the morning of the 31st. The low pressure system movement farther away from the Eastern Shore helped the strong winds to stop that afternoon.

The same low pressure system that brought snow to northern Maryland on the 29th intensified rapidly as it moved northeast overnight and reached Nova Scotia on the morning of the 30th. At 7 a.m. EST the surface pressure had dropped to 964 millibars. The northwest circulation between the intense low pressure system and the approaching high pressure system in the lower Tennessee Valley produced strong winds across the Eastern Shore during the day on the 30th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph and knocked down shallow rooted trees, weak tree limbs and wires and caused isolated power outages. Peak wind gusts included 46 mph at the Baltimore-Washington Airport and Salisbury (Wicomico County) and 43 mph in Tolchester Beach (Kent County). The combination of the end of the intensification process of the low pressure system and the movement of the high pressure system closer to the state (and the low pressure system farther away) caused the strong winds to cease the afternoon of the 30th.

Post Tropical Storm Sandy caused an initial estimate of $5 million dollars in damage in the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Most of the damages were due to flooding caused by excessive rainfall, as up to 13 inches of rain were reported, and due to the high winds, which caused trees and wires to come down across the state. Delmarva Power, which serves portions of the eastern shore counties, reported over 30,000 households without power during the peak of the storm. The majority of residents had power returned by the morning of the 30th. Hundreds of roads were closed due to numerous downed trees and flooding. | |No direct deaths were reported on the Eastern Shore of Maryland due to the storm.||Tropical Storm Sandy formed in the Caribbean Sea on the 22nd of October. After drifting slowly southwest into the 23rd, Sandy turned to the north and intensified to a hurricane on the 24th just before making landfall in Jamaica during that afternoon. Hurricane Sandy continued to the north and intensified to a strong category two hurricane before making landfall again in Cuba shortly after Midnight EDT on the 25th. Hurricane Sandy emerged on the other side of Cuba during the morning of the 25th and proceeded to drift northwest as a category one or two hurricane as it moved through the Bahamas on the 25th and 26th. Overnight on the 26th, Hurricane Sandy (Category 1) started to move toward the north-northeast, a motion that continued into the evening of the 28th. From there, Sandy���s motion became driven by two factors. An anomalously strong blocking ridge over the Canadian Maritimes prevented Sandy from escaping to the east. Simultaneously, an approaching and deepening middle latitude trough was about to capture Sandy. The combination of the two, turned Sandy to the north overnight on the 28th and then to the northwest on the 29th. Hurricane Sandy received one last jolt of tropical energy as it passed across the Gulf Stream during the morning of the 29th. The lowest recorded central pressure of 940 millibars (27.76 inches) occurred when Category 1 Hurricane Sandy was about 110 miles southeast of Atlantic City at 2 p.m. EDT on the 29th. As Sandy continued to move northwest and interact with the mid latitude trough, its interaction continued to make it less tropical, but did not weaken it much. Sandy continued to make a harder turn to the left (west) and made landfall in Atlantic County as a post tropical storm in Brigantine City just north of Atlantic City at 730 p.m. EDT on the 29th. The estimated minimum central pressure was 945 millibars. The lowest recorded central pressure was 945.6 millibars at the Atlantic City Marina at 734 p.m. EDT. From there, Sandy continued to weaken or fill as it moved west. At 9 p.m. EDT, the low pressure system was in western Atlantic County and continued to move west-northwest. At 11 p.m. EDT, the post tropical storm (about 954 millibars) was located in southern Chester County. Post tropical storm Sandy continued to move west-northwest and weaken. At 2 a.m. EDT on the 30th, the 962 millibar low was located near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and at 8 a.m. EDT the 979 millibar low was near Altoona, Pennsylvania. From there, the rapidly weakening low pressure system moved northwest and reached Lake Erie (993 millibars) at 8 p.m. EDT that evening and from there drifted north into Canada. ||Prior to Sandy's arrival, Governor Martin O'Malley declared a State of Emergency for Maryland. No mandatory evacuations were ordered prior to or during the storm on the Eastern Shore. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge was closed due to high winds just before 3 p.m. on the 29th and remained closed through about 9 a.m. on the 30th. The state also closed the Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge, where Interstate 95 crosses the Susquehanna River. A swift water rescue teams from South Carolina were on standby throughout the storm and thankfully were not utilized. In addition, several shelters were opened across the state, including three in Cecil County and two each in Kent, Queen Anne's and Caroline Counties.||In the Chesapeake Bay, moderate tidal flooding occurred during the afternoon high tide cycle on the 29th at Cambridge and during the early morning high tide on the 30th at Tolchester Beach. The storm surge was 3 to 3.5 feet. The region was spared higher surges as Sandy made landfall in New Jersey and the winds prior to landfall pushed water down the Chesapeake Bay. Minor tidal flooding also occurred at Tolchester Beach during the subsequent afternoon high tide cycle on the 30th. ||Heavy rains fell across the area as Sandy approached and then moved through the region. This made it easier for shallow rooted and leafed trees to be uprooted, it also complicated the tidal flooding. Event rainfall totals ranged from just under 6 inches across the northern areas to up near 13 inches across the southern areas of the Eastern Shore. The steady rain associated with Sandy spread into the Eastern Shore during the day on the 28th and slowly edged north. The heaviest rain fell overnight on the 28th into the early evening of the 29th. The rain ended during the middle of the day on the 30th.||Peak wind gusts included 60 mph in Tolchester Beach (Kent County), 59 mph in Bay City (Queen Anne's County), 55 mph in Royal Oak (Talbot County), 53 mph at the Stevensville Airport (Queen Anne's County), 48 mph at the Easton Airport (Talbot County), 47 mph in Colora (Cecil County) and 41 mph near Jumptown (Caroline County). Strong winds spread northward along the Wastern Shore on the morning of the 29th with the highest winds (from the west) occurring during the evening of the 29th. Winds decreased rapidly during the early morning (shortly after Midnight) on the 30th.

An unseasonably hot and humid day produced high temperatures of around 100 degrees along the Eastern Shore on the 29th. Combined with the humidity levels, maximum hourly heat indices reached around 110F (for example 111 degrees at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and 109 degrees in Salisbury). The heat and humidity then set the stage for the powerful derecho that moved through the Eastern Shore later that evening. High temperatures on the 29th included 103 degrees at the Baltimore-Washington Airport, 101 degrees in Salisbury (Wicomico County) and 99 degrees in Easton (Talbot County). While high temperatures on the 30th reached into the lower and mid 90s, the derecho brought in slightly drier air in its wake.

Severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a strong cold front during the mid to late afternoon of the 24th and affected portions of the Delmarva and eastern Virginia. The combination of damaging winds and lightning caused about 5,500 customers to lose power across the Delmarva.

A nearly seventy millibar surface pressure difference between an intense low pressure system moving through the Canadian Maritimes (it bottomed at 963 millibars at 1 p.m. EST on the 25th in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence) and a high pressure system in the Central Plains produced nearly twenty-four hours of strong winds across the Maryland Eastern Shore from the late evening on the 24th through the early evening on the 25th. The strong winds downed weak trees, tree limbs and power lines and caused scattered outages. About 3,000 homes and businesses lost power, most of them in the southern part of the Eastern Shore. | |Peak wind gusts included 48 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and 45 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County). The strong winds started shortly after a cold frontal passage moved through Maryland during the late afternoon of the 24th and persisted into the first part of the evening on the 25th. Winds started to diminish after the low pressure system started to weaken and moved farther away from Maryland.

A rapidly intensifying low pressure system caused strong west to northwest winds to occur across the Eastern Shore of Maryland from the afternoon through the late evening of the 27th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph, resulting in downed tree limbs and isolated power outages.||Peak wind gusts from nearby areas included 46 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport (Anne Arundel County), 39 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County) and 38 mph in Cambridge (Dorchester County).

Strong westerly winds were recorded early in the morning and again later in the day on the 13th across the Eastern Shore of Maryland, following a cold frontal passage. Peak wind gusts averaged between 40 and 50 mph, resulting in downed tree limbs and isolated power outages. However, in Cecil County, a chain reaction started by one downed tree that fell on power lines on U.S. Route 40 tripped a circuit near Elkton and caused 5,000 Delmarva Power customers to lose power. Most had power restored quickly, but about 50 customers lost power for about three hours until the line was repaired. Measured wind gusts included 41 mph in Salisbury at the Wicomico County Regional Airport (Wicomico County) and 43 mph nearby at the Wilmington Airport (New Castle County, DE). The strong westerly winds recorded early in the morning accompanied an arctic cold front, and another round of higher wind gusts occurred around midday in the strong cold air advection. As the pressure gradient (difference) relaxed late in the day, the strong winds subsided from west to east across the area.

Strong south winds occurred during the late afternoon and the early part of the evening on the 27th. A line of showers also helped mix stronger winds to the surface. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph. The combination of the heavy rain and strong winds helped knock down tree limbs and weak trees in the Eastern Shore, particularly in Queen Anne's, Talbot and Caroline Counties. About 1,000 homes and businesses lost power. In Talbot County, in Easton, a downed tree badly damaged a home on Ocean Gateway. The home's roof and ceiling collapsed and electrical lines were severed. It was deemed uninhabitable. Another downed tree blocked Stoney Ridge Road in Easton. There were a couple of other trees that were knocked down on county roads. In Caroline County, a downed tree caused about 235 Delamrva Power customers to lose power in Cordova. In Queen Anne's County, about 750 homes and businesses lost power in Centreville, Queenstown and Millington when a couple of trees and poles were knocked down. Peak wind gusts included 52 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County) and 49 mph in Easton (Talbot County). The strong south to southwest winds were caused by the pressure difference between a departing high pressure system and an approaching cold front from the Ohio Valley. The strong winds ceased after the cold front moved through during the early evening.

A rapidly intensifying low pressure system caused strong northwest winds to occur across the Eastern Shore from the evening of the 7th into the early morning on the 8th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph and combined with the heavy rain downed tree limbs and very weak rooted trees in the Eastern Shore. Isolated power outages occurred. Peak wind gusts included 46 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and 40 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County). The strong winds were caused by the increasing circulation around the same low pressure system that brought heavy rain to the Eastern Shore. The low intensified from 1007 millibars over western North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 7th, to 996 millibars over Delaware at 7 p.m. EST on the 7th, to 989 millibars over Long Island at 1 a.m. EST on the 8th to 978 millibars over Eastport, Maine at 7 a.m. EST on the 8th. The 29 millibar drop in 24 hours qualified it for the meteorological definition of a bombing low pressure system and was the main reason for the strong winds. While the low continued to intensify (it was down to 963 millibars at the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River at 1 p.m. EST on the 8th), it moved far enough away from the Eastern Shore so that strong winds subsided by sunrise on the 8th.

Hurricane Irene produced heavy flooding rain, tropical storm force wind gusts and caused one wind related death across the Eastern Shore. Preliminary damage estimates were around three million dollars and approximately 85,000 homes and businesses lost power. Power was not fully restored until September 1st. The combination of heavy rain and wind closed numerous roadways across the Eastern Shore and downed thousands of trees. Some schools were unable to open on Monday August 29th. There was a temporary ban on harvesting shellfish along Chesapeake Bay because of the excessive runoff. Some tomato, corn, watermelon and cantaloupe crops were destroyed. It was estimated that 30,000 chickens were also killed by the effects of Irene.||Tropical storm force wind gusts overspread the Eastern Shore during the afternoon and early evening of the 27th and persisted into the afternoon of the 28th. Peak wind gusts averaged 50 to 60 mph. The strongest winds associated with Irene occurred at two distinct times. The first surge occurred during bands of heavier rain during the evening and late night of the 27th. The second peak occurred during the late morning and early afternoon of the 28th when skies were clearing and deeper mixing of the atmosphere brought stronger winds to the ground. The rain associated with Irene overspread the Eastern Shore between 7 a.m. EDT and Noon EDT on the 27th, fell at its heaviest from the late afternoon of the 27th into the early morning of the 28th and ended around Noon EDT on the 28th. Event precipitation totals averaged 6 to 12 inches and caused widespread field and roadway flooding. Because the flash flooding and flooding blended into one, all flooding related county entries were combined into one under flood events. ||On August 25, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley declared a state of emergency in preparation for Irene. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge was closed to vehicular traffic. In Queen Anne's County, in Queenstown, an 88-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell on a chimney, sending bricks through the glass roof of a sun room where she had taken refuge since it had emergency power. About 13,000 utility customers lost power. Sections of Maryland State Routes 18, 19 and 802 were also closed because of high winds and or debris on roadways. In Cecil County, sections of Maryland State Routes 273, 213 and 272 were closed. About seventy-percent of all Delmarva Power customers lost power. In Kent County, multiple parts of Maryland State Routes 20 and 445 were closed. In all twenty-seven roadways were closed by downed trees. In Talbot County, debris closed Maryland State Route 662C. About 100 properties and 50 roadways and bridges were damaged by the flooding and wind. In Caroline County, sections of Maryland State Routes 287, 313, 31 and 311 were among twenty roadways that were closed. Two dozen homes were damaged by the flooding and wind. About 5,500 homes and businesses lost power. ||The highest wind gusts recorded during Hurricane Irene were 61 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County), 60 mph in Tolchester Beach (Kent County) and 51 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport.||Hurricane Irene formed east of the Leeward Islands on Saturday the 20th. It moved northeast and passed over Puerto Rico overnight on the 21st. As Irene moved off the island, it intensified into a hurricane. Irene just bypassed the island of Hispaniola to its north and then passed over the Eastern Bahamas on the 25th as it reached category three hurricane strength. From the Bahamas, Irene moved nearly due north and slowly weakened to a category two hurricane on the 26th and a category one hurricane on the 27th. Irene made her initial landfall near Cape Lookout, North Carolina at 8 a.m. EDT on the 27th and then proceeded to the northnortheast and went back over the Atlantic Ocean near the Virginia and North Carolina border at 7 p.m. EDT on the 27th. From there Irene paralleled the Delmarva Peninsula and the center passed about 15 miles east of Delaware between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. EDT on the 28th. Irene made her second landfall as a tropical storm on Brigantine Island, just north of Atlantic City, New Jersey at 535 a.m. EDT on the 28th.

A decaying frontal boundary still managed to act as a focus for strong to severe thunderstorms to form during the early evening of the 17th. About 2,500 homes and businesses lost power in Talbot County and the last 100 did not have it restored until later in the day on the 18th.

Strong northwest winds occurred following the passage of a cold front during the morning of the 5th across the Eastern Shore. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph and knocked down weak tree limbs. About 5,000 homes and businesses on the Eastern Shore lost power, most of them in Cecil County (earlier in the day severe thunderstorms contributed to the outages).

A very strong cold frontal passage produced strong to high winds across the Eastern Shore during the afternoon of the 25th. Peak wind gusts averaged 50 to 60 mph and downed trees, tree limbs and power lines. The highest wind gusts occurred during the hour after the cold front passed and then slowly decreased the rest of the afternoon and evening. ||Peak wind gusts included 63 mph in Annapolis (Anne Arundel County), 61 mph at Tolchester Beach (Kent County), 60 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, 52 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County) and 47 mph at Easton (Talbot County).| |The strong to high winds were caused by the pressure difference between a large high pressure system in the middle of the United States and an intense low pressure system that moved through eastern New England and the Canadian Maritimes. The winds received an additional boost from the large atmospheric pressure rises that occurred just after the cold front passed.

Strong west to northwest winds affected the Eastern Shore from the evening of the 18th into the evening of the 19th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph. The winds tore down weak trees, tree limbs and wires and caused isolated power outages. Three people were injured when a tree fell down on Maryland State Route 301 near Centreville (Queen Anne's County). Delmarva Power and Light reported about 500 of its customers lost power in Rock Hall (Kent County) and Centreville (Queen Anne's County). Choptank Electric reported about 350 of its customers lost power in Denton (Caroline County) and Sassafras (Kent County). The strong winds began following a cold frontal passage on the evening of the 18th. The winds reached their peak during the late morning and afternoon of the 19th and then slowly decreased during the evening of the 19th. ||Peak wind gusts included 55 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, 53 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County), 52 mph at Tolchester Beach (Kent County), 51 mph in Annapolis (Anne Arundel County) and 46 mph at Easton Airport (Talbot County).||The strong winds were caused by the large pressure difference between a strong high pressure system building into the United States from central Canada and a low pressure system in the Canadian Maritimes. Winds started decreasing when the low pressure system moved east of the Canadian Maritimes on the night of the 19th and the high pressure system reached the Great Lakes.

A protracted winter storm with a one-two punch affected the Eastern Shore from the early morning of the 26th into the early morning of the 27th. The first phase of the storm affected Cecil County the most, while the second phase of the storm affected all of the Eastern Shore. Snow and sleet accumulations ranged from 1 to 4 inches in Caroline and Talbot Counties to 4 to 10 inches in Cecil, Kent and Queen Anne's Counties.||Precipitation began as rain across the southern Eastern Shore and snow across the northern Eastern Shore shortly after midnight EST on the 26th. Precipitation across the northern Eastern Shore slowly changed to sleet and then rain during the morning of the 26th. Precipitation became spottier and lighter during the mid day and early afternoon on the 26th. Precipitation in the form of rain increased in intensity across the Eastern Shore during the second half of the afternoon as thunderstorms formed. Precipitation then mixed with or changed back to sleet across the northern Eastern Shore toward evening and the southern Eastern Shore during the early evening. The precipitation then changed to snow during the evening and fell heavy at times during the mid and late evening. The snow ended shortly after midnight EST on the 27th. ||The heavy snow clung to trees and caused weaker limbs and trees to come down mainly in Cecil County where 21,000 Delmarva Power customers lost power. Minor accidents were reported across the Eastern Shore. The snow caused school districts on the 27th to either close (e.g. Kent County) or have two hour delayed openings (e.g. Caroline County).||Representative snowfall included 10.0 inches in Conowingo (Cecil County), 8.5 inches in Elkton (Cecil County), 8.0 inches in Galena (Kent County), 5.6 inches in Millington (Kent County), 5.3 inches in Stevensville (Queen Anne's County), 3.5 inches in Denton (Caroline County), 3.4 inches in Greensboro (Caroline County) 1.9 inches in Easton (Talbot County) and 1.5 inches in Trappe (Caroline County). ||The latest winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that emerged from the western Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and moved northeast to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 26th. From there it turned slightly more to the northnortheast and passed through the Delmarva coastal waters during the afternoon and early evening on the 26th and then continued northeast and passed just south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts early on the 27th. The turn more toward the coast permitted some warmer air to reach into the Eastern Shore during the day on the 26th. The heavy snow burst was triggered by the surface low's upper air support that passed through the Eastern Shore on the evening of the 26th.

Strong winds occurred on the 27th in the wake of the departing winter storm. Peak wind gusts were near 50 mph and knocked down some weak tree limbs and power lines. The largest effect though was the considerable blowing and drifting of the snow the wind caused. This hampered plowing and clean-up operations after the snow ended.||The strong winds were caused by the pressure gradient (difference) between the winter storm low pressure system and a strong high pressure building east from the central part of the United States. Winds eased as the low moved farther away from the Middle Atlantic States as the day progressed on the 27th as well as it stopped intensifying after the morning of the 27th. The low pressure system's surface pressure bottomed at 961 millibars at 10 a.m. EST on the 27th as it was passing just east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

The pressure gradient or difference between a strong high pressure system over the Canadian Maritimes and a low pressure system on the approaching cold front produced strong south winds across the Eastern Shore during the first half of the day of December 1st. Wind gusts were enhanced around a line of showers and isolated thunderstorms that preceded and accompanied the cold frontal passage during the late morning. Peak wind gusts average around 45 mph and knocked down weak tree limbs and wires and caused isolated power outages. Peak wind gusts included 48 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, 47 mph in Stevensville (Queen Anne's County), 44 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County) and 41 mph at Tolchester Beach (Kent County). The up the Chesapeake Bay southerly flow and then westerly flow during the early afternoon caused minor tidal flooding around high tide during the afternoon of the 1st. The tide reached 3.72 feet above mean lower low water at Tolchester Beach (Kent County). Minor tidal flooding starts at 3.5 feet above mean lower low water.

The combination of strong south to southeast winds during the day and evening on the 30th and periods of heavy rain downed trees, tree limbs and wires across the Eastern Shore, particularly in Cecil County. Peak wind gusts averaged 40 to 45 mph. The combination of the south winds and fresh water runoff also caused widespread minor tidal flooding with the late afternoon and evening high tide on the 30th. ||In Cecil County, many schools dismissed children early. About 3,000 homes and businesses lost power in and around Rising Sun during the late afternoon on the 30th. The combination of the tides and runoff caused minor tidal flooding along the North East River in Charlestown. The Northeast River overflowed into Charlestown Manor Beach. Flood waters surrounded a home on Conestoga Street and there was water on Shore Road.||The evening high tide reached 4.38 feet above mean lower low water at Tolchester Beach (Kent County). Minor tidal flooding starts at 3.5 feet above mean lower low water while moderate tidal flooding starts at 4.5 feet above mean lower low water. The peak wind gust in Salisbury (Wicomico County) was 43 mph.||The strong wind was caused by the pressure difference between a high pressure system off the Eastern Seaboard and a low pressure system that moved from North Carolina north into Pennsylvania during the day on the 30th. As the initial low pressure system weakened and the frontal boundary moved closer to the Eastern Shore, winds diminished overnight on the 30th.

For the second time within a week a major winter storm, this one with blizzard conditions at times, affected the Maryland Eastern Shore. Blizzard conditions occurred at times during the late morning and the first half of the afternoon on the 10th. Snowfall averaged around one foot with the highest amounts in Kent and Cecil Counties. Ice accretions were less than one-quarter of an inch.||Across the lower Eastern Shore, precipitation started briefly as rain or sleet during the late afternoon on the 9th. As the precipitation intensity increased, the rain and sleet changed to snow by the middle of the evening. As warmer air moved in aloft, the snow changed back to sleet and freezing rain during the second half of the evening. Surface temperatures responded more slowly and the sleet and freezing rain changed over to rain just before midnight EST on the 10th. Some sleet mixed in from time to time. As the low pressure system moved northeast of the state, the rain changed back to snow around 9 a.m. EST on the 10th and fell heavy at times from mid morning into the early afternoon. Winds also increased and blizzard conditions occurred during the late morning and early afternoon of the 10th. The snow ended in the evening on the 10th. In the upper or northern Eastern Shore, precipitation started as snow during the late afternoon of the 9th and fell heavy at times. As warmer air moved in aloft there too, the snow changed over to sleet and freezing rain just after midnight EST on the 10th. Some surface temperatures rose above freezing and the precipitation fell as plain rain into the middle of the morning (around 9 a.m. EST) when it changed back to snow and fell heavy at times into the early afternoon. Blizzard conditions developed during the late morning and early afternoon of the 10th. The snow ended in the evening on the 10th.||The heavy snow clinged to the trees and then the increase in winds caused power outages, especially in Cecil County. About 13,600 homes and businesses lost power in Cecil County. The weight of the heavy snow also caused a canopy collapse at Hack's Point in Bohemia Bay (Cecil County) and badly damaged thirty-eight boats. Many city, federal, social and county offices as well as courthouses were closed on the 10th. Municipal meetings were canceled. Schools were closed on the 10th and 11th, some even on the 12th. A limited number of businesses were opened on the 10th. Many school districts ran out of snow days and municipal snow removal budgets were exceeded. Trash collections were postponed. In addition, the weight of the two snows caused about 50 chicken houses to collapse on the Delmarva Peninsula. ||Representative snowfall included 16.5 inches in Millington (Kent County), 16.3 inches in Greensboro (Caroline County), 12.5 inches in Stevensville (Queen Anne's County), 12.0 inches in Easton (Talbot County), 11.8 inches in Port Herman (Cecil County), 9.0 inches in Saint Michaels (Talbot County), 8.0 inches in Fairlee (Kent County), 7.0 inches at Denton (Caroline County) and 6.9 inches in St. Michaels (Talbot County). Peak wind gusts included 55 mph at Royal Oak (Talbot County), 43 mph in Easton (Talbot County) and 40 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. ||The low pressure system that caused the latest winter storm and blizzard emerged from the Big Bend of Texas on the morning of the 8th. It moved northeast and reached the Tennessee Valley on the morning of the 9th. At 7 p.m. EST on the 9th, it was located near Charleston, South Carolina. It then moved northnortheast and was near Norfolk, Virginia at 1 a.m. EST on the 10th, Georgetown, Delaware at 7 a.m. EST on the 10th, Atlantic City, New Jersey at 10 a.m. EST on the 10th and just east of Seaside Heights, New Jersey at 4 p.m. EST on the 10th. The low pressure system then drifted slowly east the rest of the afternoon into the overnight of the 10th. The pass of the low pressure system into the state permitted warmer air aloft and at the surface to make it into the Eastern Shore from the late evening of the 9th into the first half of the day on the 10th, before the heavier snow and then blizzard conditions occurred.

Strong southerly winds affected the Eastern Shore during the morning of the 25th. Peak wind gusts averaged 45 to 50 mph, with the strongest winds in the southern part of the Eastern Shore. The strong winds caused isolated power outages as the combination of the rain and wind helped knock down weak trees, tree limbs and power lines. In Queen Anne's County, downed trees damaged two homes in Centreville. Across the Eastern Shore about 2,300 homes and businesses lost power. | |Peak winds included 55 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County), 48 mph in Easton (Talbot County), 47 mph in Stevensville (Queen Anne's County) and 43 mph in Tolchester Beach (Kent County). A wind gust of 58 mph was measured across Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis.| |The strong winds were caused by a tight surface pressure gradient (difference) between a low pressure system that was moving north just to the east of the central Appalachians and a high pressure system over the western Atlantic Ocean. The strong southerly flow started to mix down to the surface after the low pressure system���s warm front moved north of the state. The winds subsided during the afternoon as the low pressure system���s cold front approached the area and the area of strong winds between 3000 feet and 5000 feet moved away from the Eastern Shore.

Strong and gusty west to northwest winds occurred for nearly twenty-four hours across the Eastern Shore from the evening of the 2nd through the afternoon of the 3rd. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph and downed weak tree limbs and power lines and resulted in isolated power outages.||Peak wind gusts included 47 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Salisbury (Wicomico County) and 44 mph at Thomas Point (Kent County). ||The strong winds were caused by the pressure difference between an intense low pressure system that retrograded from the Nova Scotia coastal waters to the Gulf of Maine on the 2nd and 3rd and a strong high pressure system located over the northern plains. The strongest winds occurred as the low pressure system continued its retrogression west through Nova Scotia on the evening of the 2nd and persisted until the low started to weaken and move to the east again, on the 3rd.

Strong south to southwest winds occurred during the day of the 9th preceding a cold frontal passage late in the afternoon. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph and coupled with the heavy rain, helped knock down shallow rooted trees, weak tree limbs and wires across the Eastern Shore. In Federalsburg (Caroline County), about 450 people lost power after a downed tree took down a transmission pole. On December 10th and 11th, gusty west winds prevailed, but peak wind gusts were on average a few mph lower than on the 9th. Peak wind gusts on the 9th included 45 mph at Thomas Point (Kent County) and 41 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County).

A powerful nor'easter produced rain and gusty winds across the southern Maryland Eastern Shore from the 11th through the 14th. While rain began falling on the 11th, the heaviest rain fell from the 12th into the first half of the 13th. The rain ended on the 14th. Event precipitation totals averaged 2 to 3 inches and produced some poor drainage and low lying area flooding. Runoff from streams, creeks and rivers were slowed by the higher than normal tides.||Event precipitation totals included 3.15 inches in Trappe (Talbot County), 3.06 inches in Bellevue (Talbot County), 2.99 inches in Denton (Caroline County), 2.90 inches in Greensboro (Caroline County), 2.62 inches in Easton (Talbot County) and 1.83 inches in Saint Michaels (Talbot County).| |The nor'easter was originally Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in Alabama on the morning of the 10th. As Ida made landfall, it lost tropical characteristics and transformed into an extratropical low pressure system. On the morning of November 11th, the low pressure system reached southern Georgia and the next morning (12th) it was located over the coastal waters east of Wilmington, North Carolina. The extratropical low pressure system reached its maximum strength of around 995 millibars during the evening of the 12th as it was located just off of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. From there, the low pressure system slowly drifted off the North Carolina coast as it slowly weakened on the 13th and 14th.

A cold front that moved through the Eastern Shore Friday afternoon helped produce strong to severe thunderstorms during the late afternoon of the 31st. Most of the wind damage occurred as a line of severe thunderstorms known as a bow echo moved across the region. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 8,000 homes and businesses lost power across the Delmarva Peninsula. Power was fully restored by August 1st.

Strong winds occurred just after Midnight EST on March 2nd along most of the Eastern Shore as a gravity wave helped mix stronger winds aloft to the ground. The combination of the wind and heavy snow helped cause power outages across the Delmarva Peninsula. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 26,000 homes and businesses lost power in its service area. About 16,000 of the outages were in Kent, Queen Anne's, Caroline and Talbot Counties. All power was restored by Noon EST on the 3rd. Choptank Electric reported about 8,700 homes and businesses lost power along the Eastern Shore with the most outages in Kent and Cecil Counties. Most power was restored by the afternoon of the 2nd. The strong winds also caused considerable blowing and drifting of snow and made it difficult for crews to keep roads plowed and open. The strong winds were associated with the nor'easter that brought the heavy snow to the Eastern Shore. The nor'easter low pressure system moved from the Georgia and South Carolina border at 7 a.m. EST on the 1st to about 150 miles east of the southern New Jersey coast at 7 a.m. EST on the 2nd. The strongest winds occurred during the early morning of the 2nd as a gravity wave that emanated from the low pressure system passed across the state.

Strong to high winds affected the Eastern Shore during the day on the 12th. The strong winds started shortly after a cold frontal passage between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. EST and persisted through most of the day. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and knocked down several tree limbs, weak trees and power lines. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 4,600 homes and businesses in Delaware and Cecil County lost power. The Cecil County outages were centered around North East and Charlestown. Several roads were closed in Cecil County because of downed trees in North East, Elkton and U.S. Route 222 between Port Deposit and the Conowingo Dam. A downed tree damaged a vehicle in Elkton. In Caroline County, in Preston, the single support post of a roof covering at a Valero gas station snapped at 2 p.m. EST. No vehicles or pumps were damaged. In Queen Anne's County the strong west winds sent waves crashing into the bulkheads at Matapeake Park on Kent Island. Flying spray was blown well inland. ||Peak wind gusts included 54 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, 50 mph in Tolchester Beach (Kent County), 48 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County), 47 mph in Ridgely (Caroline County) and 43 mph in Chesapeake City (Cecil County).||The strong and high winds were caused by the pressure difference between an intensifying low pressure system that moved through the lower Saint Lawrence River Valley, northern New England and the Canadian Maritimes and an approaching high pressure system from the lower Mississippi Valley. The winds increased after a cold front moved through the region between 3 a.m. EST and 5 a.m. EST on the morning of the 12th and slowly subsided that night.

High winds buffeted the Eastern Shore during the afternoon of the 31st. Numerous tree limbs, trees and power lines were knocked down. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 40,000 homes and businesses lost power in their service area including the Eastern Shore. Power was last restored to homes in Cecil County as late as January 2, 2009. A large garage fire in Denton (Caroline County) was tough to contain and battle because of the high winds. The fire spread to three other buildings and went to six alarms. All four structures were destroyed and an old elementary school suffered heat damage. ||Peak wind gusts included 62 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County) and 51 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. ||The high winds were caused by the large pressure difference between a rapidly intensifying Alberta Clipper type low pressure system moving through New England and a strong high pressure system approaching from the upper Mississippi Valley.

A wintry mix of mainly freezing rain and some sleet fell during the first half of the day across the Maryland Eastern Shore. Around two tenths of an inch of ice accrued on exposed surfaces and took down some weak power lines. Delmarva Power and Light reported about 1,400 homes and businesses lost power in their service area. The greatest concentration in the Eastern Shore was in Caroline County. Because this occurred on a Sunday morning, the number of reported accidents was relatively low. ||The wintry mix was caused by a low pressure system that moved from the Mississippi Valley on the morning of the 20th east into southwest Ontario Province on the morning of the 21st. A secondary low pressure system formed on the system's triple point over North Carolina that morning and moved northeast passing Cape Cod as it became the primary low pressure system early in the evening on the 21st. The secondary low pressure system helped maintain surface winds from the northeast and kept temperatures below freezing until the event ended on the morning of the 21st.

Tropical Storm Hanna brought heavy rain, strong winds and some tidal flooding to the Eastern Shore during the day and into the evening of the 6th. Rain moved into the region during the morning, fell heavy at times from the late morning into the afternoon and ended during the evening. Storm totals ranged from around 1 to around 4 inches with the highest amounts in Cecil County. The strongest winds occurred during the morning and afternoon with peak gusts as high as 56 mph. Siding was ripped from a restaurant in Tilghman (Talbot County). About 10,000 homes and businesses lost power on the Delmarva Peninsula. All power was restored by the 7th. Tidal flooding occurred during the early evening as the surge averaged two to three feet and affected mainly Talbot and Caroline Counties. Many planned activities were cancelled. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources suspended camping at all of the Eastern Shore State Parks. Chesapeake College was closed. ||A limited state of emergency was declared because of Hanna. The eastbound lanes of the William Preston Lane Junior Memorial Bridge (Queen Anne's County) were closed during the morning of the 6th. It was reopened during the afternoon, but driving restrictions remained in place in both directions into the evening. The persistent strong winds knocked down several weak trees and limbs. This caused scattered power outages and a few road closures. The heavy rain caused a few road closures in Cecil County, although the majority of the closures were caused by tidal flooding farther south.||The tidal surge peaked prior to the high tide during the late afternoon and evening of the 6th. In Talbot County, in Oxford, Pier Street was flooded. The water was over the docks and bulkheads at Knapps Narrow. In St. Michaels, the tide reached into the parking lot of a restaurant off of Mill Street. Patrons were ferried in and out of the restaurant by pick-up truck. Southeast of Saint Michael's, the tide covered the deck of a restaurant off of Mulberry Street and totally closed North Harbour Road. In Easton, the Easton Point Marina became an island off of Port Street. In Caroline County, tidal flooding expanded into the Choptank River and flooded Crouse Park in Denton.||Peak wind gusts included 56 mph in Tilghman (Talbot County), 49 mph in Stevensville (Queen Anne's County), 42 mph in Tolchester (Kent County), 37 mph in Ridgely (Caroline County) and 36 mph in Elkton (Cecil County). Precipitation totals included 4.23 inches in Elkton (Cecil County), 3.81 inches in Fair Hill (Cecil County), 1.99 inches in American Corner (Caroline County), 1.80 inches in Church Hill (Queen Anne's County), 1.76 inches in Millington (Kent County), 1.61 inches in Denton (Caroline County) and 1.20 inches in Easton (Talbot County). ||The tide at Cambridge (Dorchester County) peaked at 4.36 feet above mean lower low water at 736 p.m. EDT on the 6th. Minor tidal flooding starts at 3.5 feet above mean lower low water and moderate tidal flooding starts at 4.5 feet above mean lower low water. The storm surge was estimated to reach 4 feet above normal in the Choptank River in Caroline County. The evening high tide at Tolchester Beach in Kent County crested at 3.1 feet above mean lower low water and failed to reach minor tidal flooding levels (3.5 feet above mean lower low water).||Tropical Storm Hanna made landfall at about 320 a.m. EDT on September 6th near the border of North and South Carolina. The tropical storm proceeded to move northeast. At 8 a.m. EDT, Hanna was near Goldsboro, North Carolina; at 11 a.m. EDT just southeast of Emporia, Virginia; at 2 p.m. EDT near Williamsburg, Virginia, at 5 p.m. EDT in Dorchester County, Maryland. Hanna cut across northwest Sussex County Delaware and entered Delaware Bay and made landfall in New Jersey close to 7 p.m. EDT in eastern Cumberland County. At 8 p.m. EDT Hanna was located in northern Atlantic County, New Jersey and exited the state near Island Beach State Park in Ocean County. At 11 p.m. EDT, Hanna was about to make landfall in western Suffolk County in New York State. Hanna continued to move northeast through eastern Long Island and New England overnight on the 6th.

A pair of squall line thunderstorms produced damaging wind gusts as they moved across the Eastern Shore late in the afternoon and during the evening on the 4th. The first squall line caused the worst damage of the day and also spawned a tornado. About 5,000 Delmarva Power and Light customers lost power across the Eastern Shore because of the damaging winds and lightning.

Strong winds both preceding and then following a strong cold front downed weak trees, tree limbs and wires across the Eastern Shore during the afternoon and evening of the 8th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph. About 4,000 homes and businesses in Cecil County (which took the brunt of the storm) lost power. Power was not fully restored until the 9th. Peak wind gusts included 53 mph in Tolchester Beach (Kent County) and 51 mph in Queen Anne (Talbot County). The strong winds were caused by the pressure difference between an intensifying low pressure system that moved through New England on the night of the 8th and a high pressure system moving northeast from the western Gulf States.

An arctic front swept across the state of Maryland in the morning hours of the 10th. Northwesterly winds increased in the wake of this front and became rather gusty in the afternoon and evening. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and tore down some weak trees, tree limbs and wires.||About 1,700 Delmarva Power and Light customers in Rock Hall (Kent County) lost power from 4:15 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST. In Chestertown (Kent County) about 100 customers were without power from 4:15 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST. A couple hundred customers also lost power when more trees were downed onto power lines and even some utility poles later that evening. In Queen Anne's County, 2,266 customers in Stevensville went without power from 4:15 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST after a tree fell through a power line. ||Actual peak wind gusts included 55 mph in Queen Anne (Talbot County), 52 mph at Tolchester Beach (Kent County), 47 mph in Chesapeake City (Cecil County) and 46 mph in Ridgely (Caroline County).

A persistent gale force northnorthwest flow down Chesapeake Bay caused blow-out tides to occur from the late evening of the 2nd into the morning of the 3rd along the Eastern Shore. Many sailboats and some deep-draft powerboats were agrounded in the harbors. They listed heavily and caused minor damage to the vessels themselves and the docks. Other vessels were left partially suspended above the water's surface by dock lines that were too short to accommodate the receding water levels. ||Low tide at Tolchester Beach reached -2.72 feet below mean lower low water. Blowout tides start at -1.80 feet below mean lower low water.

Strong winds buffeted the Maryland Eastern Shore during the second half of the morning and the afternoon on the 3rd. Highest wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and downed trees and wires caused power outages.||Delmarva Power and Light reported about 4,400 homes and business lost power in Cecil and Harford Counties. All power was restored by 6 p.m. EST. Wind restrictions were in place on the William Preston Lane Junior Bridge in Queen Anne's County. Empty house trailers and box trailers were prohibited from crossing the bridge. The strong winds blew over road signs and one street light in Easton (Talbot County). One downed tree also caused isolated power outages.||Specific wind gusts included 54 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County), 53 mph in Ridgely (Caroline County), 47 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and 46 mph in Tolchester Beach (Kent County). The strong winds were caused by the pressure difference between a low pressure system that was intensifying as it was moving through the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system building toward the northeast from the Southern Plains.

An intense nor'easter brought strong winds to the Eastern Shore on the 16th. The strongest winds occurred as the nor'easter pulled northeast of the region on the 16th from the early morning into the afternoon. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph. The gusty northwest winds on Monday the 16th caused scattered power outages for both Delmarva Power and Choptank Electric Cooperative.|Peak wind gusts included 54 mph in Salisbury (Dorchester County), 53 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, 48 mph in Easton (Talbot County), 47 mph in Annapolis (Anne Arundel County) and 46 mph in Chesapeake City (Cecil County) and Tolchester Beach (Kent County). |The nor'easter low pressure system initially formed in the southern Rockies on the 12th and moved to Arkansas on the morning of the 14th. At 8 p.m. EDT on the 14th, there were two low pressure systems, one in Kentucky and the other in western Alabama. The southern low pressure system became the predominate one overnight and at 8 a.m. EDT on the 15th, it (996 millibar low) was located in western North Carolina. As the 15th continued, it moved northeast and intensified rapidly. At 2 p.m. EDT the nor'easter (989 millibars) was near Raleigh, North Carolina. At 8 p.m. EDT, the nor'easter was a 979 millibar low pressure system near Virginia Beach, Virginia. Another low pressure system formed on its warm front during the afternoon over Chesapeake Bay and at 8 p.m. EDT it (982 millibars) was over extreme southwest New Jersey. The lows consolidated into one again overnight and a very intense 973 millibar low pressure system was located over Monmouth County, New Jersey at 2 a.m. EDT on the 16th. At 8 a.m. EDT on the 16th the nor'easter was down to 968 millibars and located over New York City. That was a drop in central pressure of 28 millibars in 24 hours which qualified it as a meteorological bomb (a drop in central pressure of at least 24 millibars in 24 hours) low pressure system. The nor'easter bottomed at a pressure of about 966 millibars (28.53 inches) at 11 a.m. EDT just south of Long Island, New York. To put into prospective how low the pressure was with this nor'easter, that central pressure is near the border of the pressure defined category 2 and category 3 hurricane once used on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. As the 16th continued, the nor'easter weakened and meandered across southwest New England and the New York and New Jersey coastal waters. By 2 a.m. EDT on the 17th, the nor'easter's central pressure rose to 988 millibars and a second storm formed on the triple point of its fronts south of Nova Scotia. This became the main low pressure system. The low pressure system then slowly moved southeast over the next couple of days. The heaviest precipitation fell as the low pressure system was rapidly intensifying on the 15th into the early part of the 16th. The strongest winds ceased after the low pressure system started to fill on the afternoon of the 16th.

An intense nor'easter brought heavy rain and flooding to the Maryland Eastern Shore on the 15th and strong winds to the region on the 16th. Rain began falling during the evening on the 14th, but fell at its heaviest from about Midnight EDT through about 3 p.m. EDT on the 15th. The rain ended before sunrise during the early morning of the 16th. Event precipitation totals averaged between 3 and 6 inches. The strongest winds occurred as the nor'easter pulled northeast of the region on the 16th from the early morning into the afternoon. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph.|The worst reported flooding was in Cecil County on the 15th where four roadways were closed (including Delaware Avenue) in Elkton as the Big Elk Creek flooded. Flooding was also reported along Maryland State Route 7 at Broad and Peddler Creeks in Charlestown. The Trinity Woods subdivision experienced yard and roadway flooding. Elsewhere similar flooding conditions occurred as mainly poor drainage, yard and field flooding was reported. The gusty northwest winds on Monday the 16th caused scattered power outages for both Delmarva Power and Choptank Electric Cooperative.|Storm totals included 5.63 inches in American Corner (Caroline County), 3.80 inches in Federalsburg (Caroline County), 3.50 inches in Stevensville (Queen Anne's County) and 3.37 inches at the Conowingo Dam (Cecil County). Peak wind gusts included 54 mph in Salisbury (Dorchester County), 53 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, 48 mph in Easton (Talbot County), 47 mph in Annapolis (Anne Arundel County) and 46 mph in Chesapeake City (Cecil County) and Tolchester Beach (Kent County). |The nor'easter low pressure system initially formed in the southern Rockies on the 12th and moved to Arkansas on the morning of the 14th. At 8 p.m. EDT on the 14th, there were two low pressure systems, one in Kentucky and the other in western Alabama. The southern low pressure system became the predominate one overnight and at 8 a.m. EDT on the 15th, it (996 millibar low) was located in western North Carolina. As the 15th continued, it moved northeast and intensified rapidly. At 2 p.m. EDT the nor'easter (989 millibars) was near Raleigh, North Carolina. At 8 p.m. EDT, the nor'easter was a 979 millibar low pressure system near Virginia Beach, Virginia. Another low pressure system formed on its warm front during the afternoon over Chesapeake Bay and at 8 p.m. EDT it (982 millibars) was over extreme southwest New Jersey. The lows consolidated into one again overnight and a very intense 973 millibar low pressure system was located over Monmouth County, New Jersey at 2 a.m. EDT on the 16th. At 8 a.m. EDT on the 16th the nor'easter was down to 968 millibars and located over New York City. That was a drop in central pressure of 28 millibars in 24 hours which qualified it as a meteorological bomb (a drop in central pressure of at least 24 millibars in 24 hours) low pressure system. The nor'easter bottomed at a pressure of about 966 millibars (28.53 inches) at 11 a.m. EDT just south of Long Island, New York. To put into prospective how low the pressure was with this nor'easter, that central pressure is near the border of the pressure defined category 2 and category 3 hurricane once used on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. As the 16th continued, the nor'easter weakened and meandered across southwest New England and the New York and New Jersey coastal waters. By 2 a.m. EDT on the 17th, the nor'easter's central pressure rose to 988 millibars and a second storm formed on the triple point of its fronts south of Nova Scotia. This became the main low pressure system. The low pressure system then slowly moved southeast over the next couple of days. The heaviest precipitation fell as the low pressure system was rapidly intensifying on the 15th into the early part of the 16th. The strongest winds ceased after the low pressure system started to fill on the afternoon of the 16th.

The combination of a strong high pressure system to the north and a nor'easter low pressure system that passed to the east of Delaware produced a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain across northern parts of the Eastern Shore and heavy rain across the southern part of the Eastern Shore. The heaviest rain fell during the day and early evening on the 16th. Storm totals averaged two to three inches across the region. Farther to the north sleet accumulations reached up to three inches in Cecil County with ice accretions generally less than one tenth of an inch.|Precipitation started as rain across the Eastern Shore during the evening of the 15th. But as colder air moved in aloft, precipitation changed to sleet during the morning of the 16th in Cecil County and in Kent County by the afternoon of the 16th. As the low pressure system tracked closer to the state during the afternoon of the 16th, the change to sleet stopped in Kent County. As the low moved farther offshore, and the winds backed more to the north, colder air filtered south into Queen Anne's County and changed precipitation over to sleet and freezing during the evening of the 16th. Precipitation fell as mainly rain in Talbot and Caroline Counties. All precipitation ended across the Eastern Shore by 1 a.m. EDT on the 17th. | |In Cecil County, the Maryland State Route 213 Bridge was closed over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal at Chesapeake City during the afternoon because of a crash. Precipitation storm totals included 3.00 inches in Federalsburg (Caroline County), 2.80 inches in Salisbury (Wicomico County) and 2.73 inches at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Sleet accumulations included 3.0 inches in Conowingo (Cecil County) and 2.0 inches in Elkton (Cecil County). |The wintry mix and heavy rain were caused by a nor'easter low pressure system that developed on a cold front that moved through the area on the 15th. Prior to that, unseasonably mild air helped push high temperatures as high as the 70s. A strong high pressure system moved across nearby Canada and supplied a fresh supply of cold air into the region. Meanwhile, the low pressure system formed over South Carolina and Georgia on the morning of the 16th and moved northeast. At 2 p.m. EDT on the 16th, it was near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; at 8 p.m. EDT that evening, it was just east of Virginia Beach; at 2 a.m. EDT on the 17th, it was about 100 miles east of Atlantic City, New Jersey and was about 100 miles south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts at 8 a.m. EDT on the 17th. As central pressures go, this was not particularly a powerful system; it was only 996 millibars the morning of the 17th. What contributed to the event was the strong high pressure system (about 1040 millibars the morning of the 16th). It supplied the fresh cold air needed to change the precipitation over to sleet and freezing rain and increased the pressure gradient (and consequently the wind) between itself and the developing nor'easter low pressure system.

As the nor'easter intensified as it headed into the New England coastal waters and the Gulf of Maine, strong northwest winds enveloped the Maryland Eastern Shore during the late afternoon and the evening of the 14th. Peak wind gusts averaged between 40 and 50 mph and hampered power restoration efforts in the northern part of the Eastern Shore. Peak wind gusts included 49 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, 45 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County) and 44 mph in Tolchester Beach (Kent County).

An area of low pressure tracked across southeastern Canada during the 12th, which brought an arctic front across the Mid Atlantic region late on the 12th. As this occurred, a strong area of high pressure located across central Canada built down into the Northeast, allowing very cold air to spill southward ultimately leading to what is known as cold air damming. This occurs east of the mountains down through the Mid Atlantic states. Meanwhile, a Pacific storm slammed onto the California coast during the 11th and as it moved eastward, a new area of low pressure developed across southeastern Colorado and the Texas Panhandle. This storm became impressive as it moved into the Ohio Valley during the 13th. However as additional energy moved into the eastern part of the country, a new area of low pressure developed near the North Carolina coast late on the 13th. This allowed mainly light snow to overspread the region from south to north during the early morning hours of the 13th. As the secondary area of low pressure became more organized to our south, moisture began to fill in across North Carolina and Virginia and this moved northward. The arctic front that slipped through the state on the 12th was positioned across the southern Delmarva and this began a northward jog during the night of the 13th and the morning of the 14th. The intensifying area of low pressure tracked very near southern Delaware and then slid close to the New Jersey Shore during the morning of the 14th. This system continued to intensify as it moved into New England during the afternoon and evening of the 14th. The track of the storm kept winds at the surface from the northeast, which pretty much locked in the cold air at the surface while some warmer air worked in above the surface for a period of time. The upper-level system then passed overhead during the evening of the 14th, with the entire system pretty much a memory by late in the evening of the 14th.|Snow began across Maryland���s Eastern Shore from south to north between 6 AM and 7 AM EST on the 13th. There was a lull in the precipitation during the evening hours of the 13th, however the precipitation became widespread overnight and during the early morning hours of the 14th. As some warmer air began to move in above the surface, the snow mixed with and changed to sleet and freezing rain between 12 PM and 4 PM EST. The mixed precipitation continued during the overnight hours of the 13th and the morning of the 14th in the northern part of the Eastern Shore. Plain rain fell farther to the south. In the north, somewhat milder air made its way in for a brief time during the morning of the 14th to allow some plain rain to mix in. After rising a couple of degrees above freezing around Midday on the 14th, the temperatures dropped back below freezing by late afternoon of the 14th with some snow showers before the precipitation came to an end around 8 PM on the 14th. The most significant sleet and ice accumulations occurred in Cecil County where up to a quarter of an inch of ice downed trees and power lines. |In Cecil County, Delmarva Power reported that about 12,000 customers in lost power starting the night of the 13th. Ice and snow contributed to a number of accidents as well. The state police barrack in North East handled about a dozen minor traffic accidents as of the afternoon of the 14th. An accident on Route 213 near Interstate 95 at about 10:30 AM on the 14th sent two people to Union Hospital after their vehicle lost control on the slippery roadway and struck a state plow truck, but neither was seriously injured. Cecil County schools were sent home early on the 13th and had the day off on the 14th because of the winter storm. North East town government canceled its mayor and commissioners meeting and rescheduled it for February 20th. County government offices also were closed on the 13th and 14th. In Kent County, on the afternoon of the 13th, a vehicle was traveling south on Route 213 in Chestertown when it slid on a patch of ice on the Chester River Bridge, crossed the center line and struck another vehicle. This closed the highway for an hour. Occupants of one of the vehicles were taken to Chester River Hospital Center for treatment. The bridge was not reopened until both lanes of Route 213 were heavily salted. At 9 AM on the 14th on Route 213 just north of the Route 298 intersection, a car struck a utility pole. Injuries were reported. Farther to the south on the Eastern Shore, precipitation started as snow during the morning of the 13th, then changed to a mixture of sleet and light freezing rain. Precipitation changed to plain rain by the evening of the 13th.|Some snow/sleet accumulations included 6.0 inches in the city of Conowingo (Cecil County) and 1.7 inches in Stevensville (Queen Anne���s County).

Strong northwest to west winds occurred during the daytime hours on January 20th across the Maryland Eastern Shore. It was caused by an intense pressure gradient (large difference in surface pressure over a relatively small area) between a powerful low pressure system (960 millibars at 7 a.m. EST on the 20th) moving through the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system building east from the Midwest. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and included 55 mph in Easton (Talbot County) and 51 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

A southerly flow preceding and a westerly flow behind a powerful cold front produced strong winds during the afternoon and evening of the 1st across the Maryland Eastern Shore. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph. They were from the south preceding the front during the afternoon and from the west behind the front during the evening.

Cold air streaming in behind a powerful cold front produced strong gusty west to northwest winds during the afternoon of the 20th. Peak wind gusts averaged between 40 and 45 mph.

The combination of the remnants of Tropical Storm Ernnesto and a large high pressure system over eastern Canada produced heavy rain and strong winds along the Maryland Eastern Shore. Rain moved into the area during the morning of the 1st and did not exit until around noon EDT on the 2nd. The heaviest rain took a long time to move north. The heaviest rain fell in Talbot and Caroline Counties during the daylight hours on the 1st, but did not reach Cecil County until the morning of the 2nd. Storm totals averaged two to five inches with the highest amounts in Caroline County. The heavy rain produced poor drainage flooding as well as some stream and creek flooding in Caroline County. In addition to the heavy rain, persistent east to northeast winds caused tree damage as the heavy rain loosened the root support and weighed down limbs. Strong winds started during the late morning on the 1st, peaked during the evening of the 1st and around midnight EDT on the 2nd and subsided before sunrise on the 2nd. Delmarva Power reported about 21,350 of its customers lost power on the 1st and 2nd. Businesses in Chestertown closed early because of the power outages on the first. The strong winds caused some minor damage to businesses on Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County. The county received about 50 calls about downed trees. Kent County responded to about 10 calls of downed trees. Actual storm totals included 5.50 inches in American Corner (Caroline County), 4.90 inches in Federalsburg (Caroline County), 3.28 inches in Saint Michaels (Talbot County), 3.16 inches in Charlestown (Cecil County), 2.50 inches in Stevennsville (Queen Anne's County) and 2.00 inches at the Conowingo Dam in Cecil County.The low pressure system that was Ernesto moved slowly north from around Petersburg, Virginia at 5 p.m. EDT on the 1st, to near Fredericksburg, Virginia at 11 p.m. EDT on the 1st, passed close to Washington D.C. at 5 a.m. EDT on the 2nd, near Hagerstown, Maryland at 8 a.m. EDT on the 2nd, near Altoona, Pennsylvania at 2 p.m. EDT on the 2nd and accelerated northward and was just southeast of Buffalo, New York at 2 a.m. EDT on the 3rd. Of greater importance, was a strong high pressure system (greater than 1032 millibars) that remained over southeastern Canada and maintained the pressure gradient (difference) between it and the remnant low of Ernesto.

A strong area of high pressure anchored over the East Coast and the western Atlantic, resulted in a stretch of excessive heat for the entire region to start off August 2006. The very hot air mass was accompanied by humid conditions as the dew points surged into the upper 60s and lower 70s for a time. It could have been worse, but the dew points lowered a little bit for most areas during the afternoon hours as the sunshine dried the air mass out for a time. Temperatures during August 1st through the 3rd topped out in the mid to upper 90s across Maryland's Eastern Shore. The combination of temperatures well into the 90s and moderate to high humidity pushed heat indices into the 105 to 110 degree range across the region.The spiking temperatures on August 2nd caused a power line in Rising Sun, Maryland (Cecil County) to ignite. The line, on East Main Street, was seen smoking and it knocked out power to about 300 customers for a little more than an hour. No injuries were reported as a result of the line fire.

A major winter storm affected the northeastern United States, including the northern mid Atlantic region, during Saturday February 11th and Sunday February 12th. An area of low pressure developed along the Gulf Coast states on Friday February 10th, and began moving to the northeast toward the North Carolina coast during February 11th. The low continued to intensify rapidly as it moved east of the New Jersey coast on the morning of the 12th. Rain developed across central and southern portions of Maryland's Eastern Shore around 11 a.m. EST on Saturday February 11th. Snow overspread the rest of the region around 11 a.m. EST on Saturday from south to north. The precipitation initially was relatively light with temperatures either at or above freezing. The snow really increased in intensity from northeast Maryland, across eastern Pennsylvania and most of New Jersey around Midnight EST on Sunday the 12th. Even areas that saw rain to start, changed to snow during the mid to late morning hours on Sunday the 12th. The snow gradually ended from southwest to northeast around Noon EST on the 12th. During intense snowfall rates and gusty winds on the early morning hours of the 12th, a couple of plows in Chestertown (Kent County) ran off the road, however none of the crews involved were injured. The 911 Center experienced a 10 minute power outage during the morning of the 12th. The combination of the heavy snow and gusty winds, downed several trees in Kent County. Some 26,500 Delmarva Power customers lost power on the peninsula. An individual was injured in a sledding accident in Fairlee (Kent County) on the 12th, however there were no details on any injuries. The American Red Cross reported blood shortages due to missed or cancelled donations directly related to the winter storm. In Easton (Talbot County), several school districts delayed the start of classes during the morning of the 13th, to allow for additional storm clean-up. In Cecil County, schools actually closed on the 13th to allow the clean-up to continue.The Eastern Shore picked up a significant amount of snow, especially locations farther to the north. Some specific amounts include, 15.0 inches in Elkton (Cecil County), 12.0 inches in Tolchester (Kent County), 8.0 inches in Ridgely (Caroline County), and 7.5 inches in Cordova (Talbot County).

A slow moving and intense low pressure system combined with a high pressure ridge across the Mississippi Valley to produce a prolonged period of strong to high winds across the Maryland Eastern shore from the late afternoon on the 14th through the late afternoon on the 15th. The strongest wind gusts occurred overnight on the 14th. The persistent strong winds combined with ground that was wet and not frozen caused more tree damage than normally would be the case. Downed trees and tree limbs consequently helped snap poles and caused power outages. The worst reported outages on the Eastern Shore were in Cecil County where about 4,000 homes and businesses lost power with the greatest concentration in the Elkton area. All power was restored by the afternoon of the 16th. Specific wind gusts included 60 mph in Tolchester Beach (Kent County), 59 mph in Cambridge (Dorchester County) and 46 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The intense low pressure system that was responsible for the winds moved from the Delaware Valley during the early afternoon on the 14th, to the New Jersey Coast at 7 p.m. EST on the 14th, onto Long Island at 10 p.m. EST on the 14th, in the New England coastal waters east of Massachusetts at 7 a.m. EST on the 15th and into Nova Scotia by early in the afternoon on the 15th. As the low pressure system exited Nova Scotia and the high pressure system built east into the Ohio Valley, winds started diminishing during the late afternoon on the 15th.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down several trees and wires along the U.S. State Route 50 and Maryland State Route 662 in the northern part of the county. Downed power lines temporarily trapped occupants in a vehicle at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 and Maryland State Route 404. They were not injured. About 3,000 homes and businesses lost power in the county.

In addition to the snow, strong gusty northwest winds developed during the afternoon and evening of the 8th as a low pressure system intensified off the Middle Atlantic and New England States. The strong winds knocked down a few trees and power lines, especially in Cecil and Kent Counties. About 2,000 homes and businesses lost power in those two counties for up to three hours that evening. The greatest concentration of outages was in Rock Hall (Kent County). A home in Elkton (Cecil County) was badly damaged after a scrub pine was snapped by the winds. The tree made about a dozen holes in the roof of the house and one large limb also pierced the living room wall. A downed tree blocked Maryland State Route 313 in Kent County. The peak wind gust at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport was 47 mph. The strong winds were caused by a rapidly intensifying low pressure system that developed on the cold front during the morning of the 8th. The low moved northeast and was already an intense 986 mb near Danville, Virginia at 7 a.m. EST on the 8th. From there it continued to move northeast and deepened to a 978 mb low just east of Long Beach Island, New Jersey at 1 p.m. EST on the 8th, to a 970 mb low over Nantucket Island, Massachusetts at 7 p.m. EST on the 8th to a 964 mb low just southwest of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia at 1 a.m. EST on the 9th.

A very potent Alberta low pressure system dropped heavy snow (with some sleet mixed in farther south) across the Maryland Eastern Shore. Snow began falling during the morning of the 22nd and fell at its heaviest during the afternoon. The snow mixed with sleet in Talbot and Caroline Counties and reduced accumulations. Precipitation ended during the late evening of the 22nd in southern parts of the Eastern Shore, but took until the morning of the 23rd to end in Cecil County. Gusty northwest winds which followed in the wake of the storm caused considerable drifting snow and hampered road crews efforts as drifts continued to form on roads through the night of the 23rd. There were several accidents. But, because this occurred on a Saturday (the 22nd), the number of accidents were less than one would expect from a storm of this magnitude. Many sporting and community events were cancelled. Church services on Sunday were canceled. The strong winds on the 23rd also caused power outages. Schools were closed on the 24th in Cecil County. Specific snowfall accumulations 9 inches in Elkton (Cecil County), 8 inches in Chestertown (Kent County), 7.5 inches in Port Deposit (Cecil County), 6.3 inches in Stevensville (Queen Anne's County), 6 inches in Denton (Caroline County) and 4.0 inches in Easton (Talbot County). The winter storm was caused by a very powerful Alberta low pressure system. This type of low rarely produce snowfalls of this intensity. This low moved southeast from eastern Montana on the morning of the 21st to southern Minnesota on the evening of the 21st to near Dayton, Ohio around sunrise on the 22nd. It then moved to just south of Erie, Pennsylvania on the afternoon of the 22nd. A secondary low pressure system was forming over the lower Chesapeake Bay on the afternoon of the 22nd. It would become the main low over the next twelve hours. It deepened quickly as it moved northeast and passed near the Nantucket, Massachusetts buoy at 7 a.m. EST on the 23rd.

Gusty northwest winds around an intensifying low pressure system produced wind gusts to around 45 mph during the afternoon of the 29th in the Eastern Shore. Peak wind gusts included 45 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The strong winds were caused by the difference in surface pressure between a powerful (about 975 millibars) low pressure system moving through the Saint Lawrence River Valley and a high pressure system building northeast from the Gulf Coast States.

The combination of a rapidly deepening low pressure system moving through the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system building in from the Plains States produced strong to high winds across the Eastern Shore. The strongest gusts were reported in the northern part of the Eastern Shore. The strongest winds occurred during two time periods: in the morning shortly after the low pressure system's cold frontal passage and during the afternoon. The peak wind gusts of the event mainly occurred during the afternoon. Numerous trees, tree limbs and wires were knocked down. Conectiv Energy reported 160,000 of its customers lost power in its Delmarva service area. The high winds banned empty box trucks, tractor trailers and motorcycles from crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. In Cecil County, a house was damaged by downed trees in Chesapeake City. In Kent County, siding was ripped from the municipal building in Rock Hall. In Maple Grove, an historic farmhouse collapsed because of the wind. The structure was already in disrepair. The high winds damaged the tallest American Basswood tree. The tree was sixteen feet in circumference. The downed limbs damaged a chimney and sidewalk. About 11,000 homes and businesses lost power in the county. Peak wind gusts included 63 mph in Tolchester (Kent County), 59 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and 54 mph in Elkton. The winds were caused by the pressure difference between the low pressure system in the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system in the Central Plains. The low intensified from a 1004 millibar system over Lake Superior the morning of the 12th, to a 982 millibar low near Montreal the morning of the 13th to a 970 millibar low in the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River the morning of the 14th. Some strong wind gusts also occurred on the 14th and hampered power restoration work. Winds diminished the evening of the 14th.

Tropical Storm Isabel caused a record breaking tide and storm surge up the Chesapeake Bay, heavy rain and strong power outage producing winds. Isabel made landfall as a hurricane near Drum Inlet, North Carolina around 100 p.m. EDT on the 18th and weakened as it tracked farther inland. At one time in its life cycle, it was a powerful Category 5 hurricane when it was north of the Leewood Islands. Isabel's track took it west of the bay and was able to funnel water into the bay. This caused flooding along coastal areas into Cecil County. A record breaking high tide of 7.91 feet above mean lower low water was observed at Tolchester Beach (Kent County). The surge was 6.88 feet. Tidal flooding problems began after Midnight EDT on the 19th and continued throughout the day on the 19th. The surge was so strong that it negated the normal tide cycle in the bay. Evacuations occurred near the bay. For example, in Kent County emergency management officials evacuated residents along Eastern Neck Road (State Route 455) from Rock Hall to the Eastern Neck Island. Tidal flooding occurred in and around Rock Hall, Chestertown, Skinners Neck, Piney Neck and Cliffs City. Tidal flooding carried inland on the Chester River to Chestertown. Over 100 homes, vehicles and boats were damaged and/or ruined. In addition, eleven marinas, three restaurants, two hotels, two Bed and Breakfast facilities, one boat building business and one marine railway reported major damage. In Queen Anne's County, public and private damage was estimated at 37 million dollars. Thirty-seven homes were destroyed, 151 suffered major damage and 192 suffered minor damage. Most of the damage was caused by the tidal flooding, although four homes were damaged by fallen trees. The heavy rain did not coincide with the tidal flooding and occurred mainly from the afternoon of the 18th into the early morning of the 19th. There were no reports of stream related flooding due to the heavy rain. Because the heaviest rain with tropical systems often falls west of its storm track, the region was spared heavier rain. On the other hand, the strongest winds are often on the right side of the storm track. Winds gusted up to 58 mph in the bay and caused numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines to be knocked down. This was one of the worst power outage events in history for Conectiv Energy. About 65,750 homes and businesses lost power with half of the outages in Cecil County. Overall about 148,000 of the 187,000 of Conectiv Energy's customers lost power. About three-quarters of the power was restored by the 20th and the rest of the 25th.Peak wind gusts included 58 mph in Cambridge (Dorchester County), 55 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and 44 mph in Tolchester Beach. Storm totals included 3.40 inches in Federalsburg (Caroline County), 3.13 inches in Denton (Caroline County), 2.97 inches in Saint Michaels (Talbot County), 2.14 inches in Stevensville (Queen Anne's County) and 2.03 inches at the Conowingo Dam (Cecil County).

A severe thunderstorm knocked down a few trees down in and around Easton. About 5,500 Conectiv Energy and Choptank Cooperative Electric customers lost power because of the severe thunderstorms across the Delmarva Peninsula that afternoon and evening.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down numerous trees and power lines from Saint Michaels eastward through Easton and Cordova in Talbot County. Two downed trees damaged one home in Cordova.

The most powerful storm to affect the Eastern Shore since the Blizzard of 1996 struck during the President's Day Weekend. Snow began falling before dawn on Sunday the 16th and fell heavy at times through that evening. Precipitation began mixing with sleet from the evening of the 16th into the morning of the 17th. Sleet was the predominant precipitation type overnight in southern sections of the Eastern Shore. Precipitation changed to all snow again during the morning of the 17th before ending during the afternoon. Governor Robert Ehrlich declared a state of emergency on the 16th and also issued an executive order banning travel. The state of emergency made state resources available to local officials. The state of emergency was not lifted until February 23rd. The state also asked volunteers with four wheel drive vehicles to help hospital and other essential personnel get to and from work. County emergency management and sheriffs assisted. The National Guard also provided the counties with several Humvees. The heavy snow led to numerous barn and several business roof collapses. Many schools were closed the whole week. Many had already used their allotment of snow days. It cost the state about 55 million dollars for snow removal. President Bush declared 17 counties in Maryland (all of the Eastern Shore) a disaster area because of the heavy snow and sleet. This made federal money available to the state and counties to help with recovery operations. Even before this storm, many municipalities were above their snow removal budgets. Businesses and government offices were closed on both Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th. Some opened on Tuesday the 18th. The timing of the storm (holiday weekend) kept the number of accidents and rescues down. Roof collapses caused most of the property damage across the Eastern Shore. In Cecil County, there were scattered incidents of roof collapses throughout the county. Drifts reached four feet. A mobile home in Elkton was condemned because of its roof collapse. A church's roof buckled in Port Deposit. Schools were closed all week. In Kent County, in Worton one barn collapse killed one cow and injured others. In Rock Hall, a florist lost two greenhouses. Elsewhere, a section of a roof of a furniture store collapsed. Canopies that covered the slips at the Yacht Basin collapsed and damaged two boats. County offices were closed through the 18th and schools did not reopen until Friday the 21st. In Queen Anne's County, in Matapeake, a section of the old Chesapeake Bay Model building fell. About 20 percent (20,000 square feet) of the roof collapsed in the southeast corner. On Kent Island, a roof collapse at a boating store damaged three boats. In Wye Mills, the roofs of two cannery buildings collapsed. Stores in the Kent Island Shopping center were closed because of sagging roofs. In Millington, a barn roof collapse necessitated the rescue of about a dozen cows. The Bay Bridge Airport reopened on the 20th and schools reopened on the 21st. In Caroline County, problems with snow drifts kept many back roads blocked through the 18th. Government offices did not reopen until the 19th and schools were closed all week. In Talbot County, schools reopened on the 19th. Easton Airport reopened on the 18th after being closed since the 15th. Specific accumulations included 26.0 inches in Colora (Cecil County), 25.0 inches in Centreville (Queen Anne's County), 23.0 inches in Port Deposit (Cecil County), 22.5 inches in Chestertown (Kent County), 22.0 inches in Galena (Kent County), 20.0 inches in Denton (Caroline County), 19.0 inches in Saint Michaels (Talbot County) and 15.0 inches in Royal Oak (Talbot County). The low pressure system which helped cause the heavy snow formed to the lee of the southern Rockies on the 14th. It moved to southern Missouri by the morning of the 15th, the lower Tennessee Valley the morning of the 16th, reformed off the Virginia coast the morning of the 17th and was southeast of Cape Cod on the 18th. Of equal or greater importance was a large high pressure system that moved over nearby Canada and northern New England throughout this event. This locked very cold air in place, slowed the low pressure system down and prevented it from going farther north thus leaving the Eastern Shore on the snowier side of the system. Warm air did move in aloft between 5,000 and 10,000 feet and was the reason the snow changed to sleet during the evening and overnight on the 16th.

A strong northwest flow between a departing northeaster and a building high pressure system from the Gulf Coast States produced wind gusts to around 35 mph. The combination of the persistence of the wind and the recent heavy rains (which loosened the soil) knocked over a couple of trees in Talbot County. Two trees were knocked down in Saint Michael's and one in Easton. A few phone lines and power outages occurred.

The pressure difference between a strong high pressure system in the central part of the country and Tropical Storm Gustav located well east of the Delmarva Peninsula produced strong gusty northwest winds throughout the day on the 11th. The strongest gusts occurred during the early afternoon and averaged around 40 mph. The winds pulled down tree limbs and caused power outages to about 3,000 Conectiv Power Delivery customers. All power was restored by the evening of the 11th. Peak wind gusts included 44 mph in Tolchester Beach (Kent County), 37 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County) and 36 mph at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

The combination of unseasonably warm weather and below normal precipitation continued to intensify the drought across the Maryland Eastern Shore in August. Very little precipitation fell during the first three weeks of the month. Most of the month's rain came during the final week. It was believed the rain came too late for the farmers. The continued lack of precipitation prompted Governor Parris N. Glendening to declare a drought emergency across the entire Eastern Shore and implemented level two water restrictions on August 27th. Watering lawns, using sprinkles, washing paved surfaces, using water for ornamental fountains, washing cars and boats, filling or topping pools, homeowners power washing structures and serving water without being requested were all banned. All other businesses and industries must implement plans to reduce water consumption by 10 percent. Golf courses were restricted to mainly watering just tees and greens overnight. Well replacement on the Eastern Shore was up more than 23 percent as compared to the last two years with Queen Anne's County requiring 81 well replacements in July vs just four the year before. The governor also issued an Executive Order that banned all debris burning. He also expanded the eligibility requirements of the State's Cover Crop Program to help farmers cope with the drought. This would assist farmers by providing them a cover crop they could harvest. This also reduces soil erosion and protects water quality. On August 13th the governor called for a federal disaster declaration to assist farmers. Across the state corn crop losses ranged from 20 to 80 percent. Soybean losses averaged between 20 to 60 percent with the second crop suffered as much as 70 percent losses. Other crops also had losses between 10 and 70 percent. The excessive heat and the lack of precipitation also has affected livestock producers as sources of water for their animals dry and pasture grass dies. August monthly precipitation on a county weighted average ranged from 2.4 inches in Cecil County to 3.7 inches in Talbot County. Normal is around 4.1 inches. At the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, August monthly precipitation was 3.36 inches, 0.38 inches below normal.

July started with unseasonably hot and humid weather across the Maryland Eastern Shore. The hottest and most humid weather occurred on Independence Day before a cold front quietly moved through the region during the night of the 4th. Highest temperatures were around 100 degrees and heat indices reached around 105 degrees. An 80-year-old man in Talbot County died from the excessive heat. The heat also caused an increase in demand for electricity and contributed to a six hour blackout from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. EDT on the 3rd in Kent County. About 3,000 Conectiv Power Delivery customers were without power from Chestertown to Rock Hall. The power outage affected operations at the Kent County Office of Emergency Management. The high temperatures combined with more concentrated nutrients and thus more algae caused a fish kill in Kent County. Dozens of dead gizzard shads were found in a pond adjacent to the Chester River Yacht Club just south of Chestertown. The implementation of tunnel ventilation systems in chicken houses prevented any heat related deaths. Highest temperatures included 100 degrees at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Easton (Talbot County) and 99 degrees in Salisbury (Wicomico County).

A severe thunderstorm knocked down numerous trees from Saint Michaels east to Easton. Downed trees blocked U.S. Route 50 in Easton. But the biggest casualty of the severe thunderstorm was the massive Wye White Oak Tree in Wye Mills. The largest white oak tree in the United States was snapped near its base by it. The tree was 460 years old, 104 feet tall, had a circumference of 32 feet and weighed about 200 tons. Debris from the fallen tree spread across Maryland State Route 662. The road was closed through the night. A peak wind gust of 70 mph was measured at St. Michaels. Scattered power outages were all restored by 930 p.m. EDT that evening.

A ridge of high pressure both surface and aloft that was broiling the central part of the country moved east and covered the Delmarva Peninsula during the work week of August 6th. This brought the most oppressive hot spell since July of 1999 to the region and peaked on the 9th. A 65-year-old man in Elkton succumbed to the heat on the 9th. He was found dead inside his mobile home and the temperature in the trailer was around 100 degrees. In Port Deposit, transportation was provided to senior citizens to transport them to air conditioned facilities. The hot weather put a strain on electrical usage. About 2,200 Elkton residents lost power for two hours on the 7th. The PJM Interconnection (An independent organization that coordinates electric delivery for 22 million people in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey) set a usage record of 54,176 megawatts on the 9th. It was also forced to reduce voltage by 5 percent that day between 310 p.m. and 615 p.m. EDT to protect power reserves.Highest temperatures included 101 degrees in downtown Baltimore, 98 degrees at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, 95 degrees in Salisbury and 94 degrees in Ocean City. A cold front moved into the region the evening of the 10th and stalled throughout the weekend (the 11th and 12th). While it did not remove the humid air in place, the clouds and precipitation prevented temperatures from reaching into the 90s after the 10th.

A slow moving cold front and a very humid air mass preceding it helped generate showers and thunderstorms with heavy rain across the Maryland Eastern Shore from the evening of the 25th through the first half of the 26th. Doppler Radar storm total estimates ranged between 2 and 5 inches. While the heavy rain produced some poor drainage flooding, no serious flooding was reported. The combination of lightning and the heavy rain saturating the soil downed a few trees and limbs across the Eastern Shore on the 26th. About 2,700 customers lost power in Queen Anne's and Talbot Counties. Hardest hit were Church Hill (Queen Anne's County), Longwoods (Talbot County) and Easton (Talbot County). Storm totals included 5.20 inches in Easton (Talbot County), 4 inches in Chestertown and Millington (Kent County), 3.20 inches in Stevensville (Queen Anne's County) and 2.5 inches in Federalsburg (Caroline County).

An unseasonably warm air mass and an intense low pressure system and cold front set the stage for an extremely windy day across the Maryland Eastern Shore on December 17th. Gusty southerly winds buffeted the region during the first half of the day. Thunderstorms embedded within bands of heavy precipitation exacerbated the wind, especially in Cecil County. As the cold front passed through the region during the early afternoon of the 17th, the strong southerly winds were replaced by equally strong westerly winds into the evening. The difference was there were no thunderstorms to mix down even stronger winds. Most of the peak wind gusts occurred during the morning and were between 40 and 50 mph, with higher gusts in Cecil County during the severe thunderstorm. Trees and power lines were knocked down in and around Elkton (Cecil County). Trees were knocked down on Delaware Avenue near Maryland Route 7. About 200 customers lost power. The peak wind gust at Baltimore-Washington International Airport was 43 mph and the high temperature was 62 degrees. The high temperature in Stevensville (Queen Anne's County) was 61 degrees and was 64 degrees in Easton (Talbot County).

A rapidly intensifying low pressure system and its associated cold front produced high winds across the Maryland Eastern Shore. during the morning of the 12th. Peak wind gusts ranged between 50 and 60 mph and knocked down trees, tree limbs and power lines. About 11,000 homes and businesses lost power. But by 2 p.m. EST, all but 100 customers had it restored. The worst reported wind damage occurred in Caroline County where seven municipalities reported wind damage. The worst damage within the county occurred in the northern part around Henderson where downed trees blocked several roads. The low pressure system intensified from a 1009 Mb central pressure in Missouri the morning of the 11th to a 984 Mb low near Burlington Vermont the morning of the 12th. The peak wind gust at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport was 54 mph. The rapid drop in the low's central pressure of about 25 Mb within a 24 hour period is normally described as a meteorological bomb. This rapid intensification normally occurs over the western Atlantic Ocean, but when it does occur over land, could cause high winds and wind damage.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down several trees and numerous limbs and wires in southeastern parts of Talbot County. Conectiv Energy reported about 10,000 customers lost power throughout the Maryland Eastern Shore that evening and night.

The most intense winter storm since the Blizzard of 1996 buried the Maryland Eastern Shore on the 25th with around a foot of snow, wind gusts as strong as 50 mph and drifts as high as eight feet. The Maryland State Police declared a snow emergency at 3 a.m. EST on the 25th for the Maryland Eastern Shore, urging motorists to stay off the road. Maryland Governor Parris Glendening declared a state of emergency for the entire state at 930 a.m. EST that morning and extended it through Wednesday the 26th. Schools and government offices were closed on both the 25th and 26th. In Queen Annes and Kent Counties many schools were closed for the rest of the week (through Friday the 28th).The snow began with a vengeance between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. EST across the Eastern Shore. Snowfall rates of around 2 inches per hour were common during the first of couple hours during this storm. After 6 a.m. EST, as warmer air came in above the ground and the precipitation intensity slackened, the snow began mixing with sleet and freezing rain, especially toward the Delaware border. Precipitation fell as mainly snow throughout the event near the Chesapeake Bay. The highest accumulation, 20 inches, was reported in Rock Hall in Kent County. As colder air moved back into the Eastern Shore at all levels, the wintry mix changed to all snow again by 3 p.m,. EST. This coincided with another heavy band of snow that affected the Eastern Shore during the late afternoon and early evening on the 25th. The snow ended by 11 p.m. EST on the 25th. The heavy snow that fell during the predawn hours helped cut down on the number of accidents. In Queen Anne's County state police responded to 36 accidents, mostly vehicles sliding off the road. One motorist had to be rescued in Talbot County. Drifts reached as high as 8 feet in Queen Anne's County and 6 feet in Caroline County. Wind gusts reached 50 mph in Caroline County. Ice on the wires and the strong wind gusts caused about 3,700 Conectiv customers to lose power in Maryland and Delaware. The greatest outages on the Eastern Shore were in Centreville (Queen Annes County). The worst accidents occurred over the next two days (on the 26th and 27th) as more motorists were on the road and gusty northwest winds caused considerable blowing and drifting snow. Conditions were so bad on the 27th that the Maryland State Police urged drivers to stick only to the main roads as many secondary roads were becoming impassable. In Queen Annes County Greenville Road was closed. Drifts covered parts of U.S. 301 and Maryland State Routes 8, 213, 304 and 481. Drifts reached 8 feet on Maryland State Route 481. Total Accumulations included: in Cecil County 12 inches in Port Deposit and 9 inches in Elkton and Conowingo Dam; in Kent County 20 inches in Rock Hall and 10.5 inches in Millington; in Queen Annes County Church Hill 14 inches; in Talbot County 15 inches in Cordova, 13 inches in Easton and Royal Oak and 8.5 inches in St Michaels and in Caroline County 10 inches in Denton and 8 inches in Federalsburg. The low pressure system responsible for the winter storm began as a weak low pressure system on a stationary front in southern Texas on the 23rd. By the morning of the 24th, it was located in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico near Apalachicola, Florida. Initial projections were for this storm system to stay far enough offshore for the heaviest precipitation to fall over the ocean and a more significant storm was expected on Wednesday the 26th. But, by Monday evening the 24th, it became apparent that the storm would not safely go out to sea. In fact, it was intensifying and hugging the South Atlantic Coast. By 7 a.m. EST on the 25th, it was about a 980 millibar low just northeast of Cape Hatteras. The storm's greatest intensification was over, but it moved northeast near the Atlantic Seaboard, instead of eastnortheast as was originally expected. At 7 p.m. EST, the storm was about a 975 millibar low located about 80 miles east of Long Beach Island, New Jersey. It proceeded to move northeast and weaken and at 7 a.m. EST on the 26th, it was a 988 millibar low just east of Portland Maine. This storm system pushed the cold front well offshore. The third low that did develop on Wednesday the 26th was too far offshore to affect the region other than reinforcing the preexisting cold northwest flow.

An Alberta Clipper (low pressure system) moved through Pennsylvania and New Jersey during the day on the 13th. The Delmarva Peninsula was located in the warm sector of this system and received little precipitation. The relatively warm surface temperatures coupled with an approaching cold front and strong winds aloft produced strong gusty winds near the ground during the afternoon. Isolated trees, tree limbs and wires were knocked down across the Eastern Shore as peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph. Conectiv Energy reported about 1,000 homes and businesses lost power. All power was restored by 7 a.m. EST the next morning. Choptank Electric Cooperative reported outages in Earleville (Cecil County). In Royal Oak (Talbot County), one dead pine tree blew over and caught on fire. There was a ban on recreational vehicles and empty tractor trailers crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. EST. Peak wind gusts included 53 mph in Salisbury (Wicomico County) and 50 mph in Centreville (Queen Annes County).

A strong cold front produced damaging wind gusts in Cecil County and wind gusts as high as 50 mph across the rest of the Maryland Eastern Shore. In Colora (Cecil County), a home was damaged when a tree fell on it. The tree punctured two holes in the roof and knocked down the chimney before sliding down the house's side. In Conowingo (Cecil County), downed limbs damaged the roof's vent. Power lines in Cecil County were knocked down in Elkton, Fair Hill, North East, Port Deposit and Rising Sun. Conectiv Energy reported 1,600 to 1,800 homes and businesses lost power in Cecil and Harford Counties. Farther south a peak wind gust of 49 mph was reported in Chestertown (Kent County).