Baltimore’s warm winter could point to the future

“It’s questionable whether we’re going to have four seasons for very long. Winter in particular is just getting eaten.” Thursday’s record high of 79 sends residents outside in short sleeves

— Jen Brady, senior data analyst at Climate Central, a nonprofit climate change research organization

If Thursday’s high temperature of 79 degrees wasn’t enough of a clue, this winter in Baltimore has been historically warm.

The high temperature recorded at BWI Marshall Airport broke a record dating back to 1874 by 1 degree, according to the National Weather Service.

Plenty of people across Baltimore were relishing in the February sunshine. Even before the end of the workday, a queue had formed at the BMore Licks ice cream shop beside Patterson Park, where joggers and dog walkers sported short sleeves.

As of Wednesday, the average temperature measured at BWI this winter is the fifth warmest since the National Weather Service started tabulating it in the late 1800s, at 41.7 degrees.

The average daily high temperature, though, has been the third highest on record, at about 51 degrees, according to the Weather Service.

With just 0.2 inches of snow counted at the airport so far, this winter also features the smallest amount of snow ever recorded during a winter in the Baltimore area. Plus, it took far longer than usual for Baltimore to get its first snow this year. The dusting Feb. 1 was the third-latest first snow event in the metro area’s history.

Technically, meteorological winter ends March 1, and there’s still time for the winter record books to change. There’s a 20% chance of snowfall Saturday, after a cold front moves into the area Thursday night. But the snow could mix with rain, and only a small amount of accumulation is expected, thanks in part to warm ground temperatures.

The warmest Baltimore winter recorded by the National Weather Service was from 1931 into 1932, with an average temperature of 45.3 degrees. But the winters starting in December 2011, 2016 and 2019 cracked the

KIM HAIRSTON/BALTIMORE SUN Shae McCoy, a farmer at Strength to Love II Farm (S2L2) in Sandtown-Winchester, lays down mulch to create a path in one of 14 established hoop houses..