Cars drive along Interstate 495 as snow falls during a winter storm in Bethesda, Maryland on January 6, 2025. A massive storm system dumped heavy snow and freezing rain on large swaths of the eastern United States Monday, disrupting travel and work for millions of Americans from the Ohio Valley to the capital Washington. (Photo by PEDRO UGARTE / AFP) (Photo by PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images)

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Anna Skinner

By Anna Skinner

Associate News Editor

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National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists warned of heavy snow in Maryland on Thursday afternoon after temperatures plunged from a high of 71 degrees at 5 a.m. to 36 degrees by noon.

The significant change in weather follows days of unseasonably warm weather that swept across the state earlier in the week. Maryland was hit with a jarring reversal on Thursday as temperatures plunged more than 35 degrees in just seven hours. The dramatic swing occurred shortly before heavy snow began to fall, underscoring how volatile March weather can turn conditions from springlike to hazardous in a matter of hours.

"Yesterday's high in Silver Spring, MD was 84 degrees. At 5 AM this morning it was 71, as of noon, it is 36 with moderate snow. This is why we love weather y'all. Any wild weather swings in store for you?" the NWS posted on X with a video of the snow.

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NWS meteorologist Connor Belak told Newsweek the abrupt temperature change occurred after a cold front passed through the area.

"It's rather frequent this time of year," he said. "Cold fronts in the spring can result in pretty broad temperature changes."

Snowfall totals from the quick-hitting event were around 1 to 2 inches, with localized amounts up to 4 or 5 inches in the higher elevations.

Cars drive along Interstate 495 as snow falls during a winter storm in Bethesda, Maryland, on January 6, 2025. Temperatures plunged from 71 to 36 in only seven hours on Thursday in Maryland.

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The cold front is going to exit the U.S. Southeast by Thursday evening, and it will be followed by colder, drier conditions arriving during the nighttime hours, NWS said in a Thursday forecast.

"These colder temperatures will linger along the East Coast on Friday before then moderating back to above normal on Saturday," the forecast said.

A winter weather advisory was issued for some of NWS Baltimore's forecast region earlier in the day, and a hazardous weather outlook remained in place as of Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. Eastern time.

"A brief period of snow is expected this afternoon, which could be heavy at times. While most if any accumulation should be on grassy surfaces, should heavier rates occur, roads could at least briefly become slushy," the outlook said. "This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay, Tidal Potomac River, and I-95 corridor through central Maryland, northern Virginia, and District of Columbia."

Looking further ahead, most of Maryland has equal chances of normal temperatures in the coming weeks, according to the NWS Climate Prediction Center temperature outlooks. Meanwhile, much of the rest of the country has a chance at above-average temperatures.

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