The first days of 2026 delivered a classic winter punch to the Mid-Atlantic, with weather watchers across Pennsylvania and Maryland glued to forecasts and radar screens as a fast-moving Arctic front swept through the region. For residents from Baltimore to Harrisburg, the opening hours of the New Year were marked by a brief but dramatic burst of snow, biting winds, and the promise of milder days ahead—a meteorological roller coaster befitting the season.
According to ABC27, the evening of January 1, 2026, began clear and chilly across central Pennsylvania, with temperatures lingering in the 20s. But the calm was short-lived. Meteorologist Eric Finkenbinder reported, “A few hours into 2026 and we were hit with a fast moving snow squall that produced a quick coating of snow for the first day of the New Year.” The snow didn’t stick around for long, but it was enough to transform the landscape into a winter postcard before the wind picked up and the cold settled in for the night.
As the night wore on, clouds thickened and temperatures hovered near 20 degrees. The ABC27 forecast called for a few stray flurries—enough to keep things interesting, but not enough to cause any real trouble on the roads. “No accumulation is anticipated,” Finkenbinder assured viewers. The remainder of Thursday stayed cold and breezy, setting the tone for what would be a mostly quiet, if chilly, weekend.
Over in Maryland, the story was much the same, though with a few regional twists. WBAL-TV 11 News in Baltimore reported that temperatures on December 31, 2025, were already in the 30s, with a brisk wind making it feel even colder. “We’re at 35 right now in downtown Baltimore. It’s going to get even colder as an Arctic front is moving in,” the station noted. The front brought snow showers building across Pennsylvania, with some heavy snow stretching from Pittsburgh down toward the Turnpike and moving into Western Maryland.
For folks in Garrett County and the higher elevations of Western Maryland, the forecast was far more serious. WBAL-TV 11 News warned of “several inches of snow starting this evening, all the way through tomorrow morning,” with strong winds expected to reduce visibility and make travel treacherous. “So hopefully more people out towards Garrett County spending the New Year’s inside safely,” the station advised. The combination of accumulating snow and gusty winds meant that, for some, ringing in 2026 would be best done from the warmth of home.
In Baltimore and across much of northern Maryland, however, the snow was more of a fleeting guest than a lingering visitor. As the Arctic front swept through in the early morning hours of January 1, residents saw a quick burst of snow—enough, as WBAL-TV 11 News described, to make it “look like a little snow globe.” The flurries arrived between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., but “no accumulation is expected,” the station emphasized. Still, the rapid temperature drop behind the front meant that a few roads could turn slick, and the wind chills would make it feel like the teens, even as actual temperatures held in the 20s.
“The wind will pick up again on New Year’s Day, making the ‘feels like’ temperatures in the teens,” WBAL-TV 11 News reported. Daytime highs were stuck in the 20s, and with gusts over 20 mph, the cold felt downright biting. For many, the start of 2026 was a reminder that winter had truly arrived.
Looking ahead, both ABC27 and WBAL-TV 11 News painted a cautiously optimistic picture for the days that followed. Friday through Sunday (January 2-4) were expected to remain cold and mostly quiet in central Pennsylvania, with only a slight chance of snow showers on Saturday evening as a storm system slid to the south. “A storm will slide to our south Saturday evening which could lead to a few passing snow showers, otherwise, a rather quiet weekend weather-wise,” said Finkenbinder of ABC27.
In Maryland, the weekend forecast was similarly subdued. A storm system forming to the south was expected to bring some light snow, but “right now a lot of that is missing us to the south,” WBAL-TV 11 News explained. There was, however, a “small chance for some snow”—a situation that would bear watching as the weekend approached. For now, significant snow events in Baltimore seemed unlikely until perhaps the week of January 11, giving residents a brief respite from winter’s wilder side.
As the region moved into the first full week of January, the weather narrative shifted from frigid to relatively mild. Both ABC27 and WBAL-TV 11 News forecasted a stretch of seasonably mild air beginning Monday, January 5. High temperatures were expected to reach the 40s by Tuesday, January 6, and, according to WBAL-TV 11 News, “we could be near 50 degrees for highs on Tuesday and Wednesday, so that would put us above normal.” For central Pennsylvania, these milder days would coincide with the start of Farm Show weekend, a welcome break from the deep freeze that marked the New Year’s arrival.
Still, the quick swings in temperature and the ever-present threat of snow kept meteorologists and residents alike on their toes. The southern branch of the jet stream, WBAL-TV 11 News noted, was forecast to get active—a necessary ingredient for big East Coast snow events. While the immediate outlook called for moderation, the possibility of a more significant storm in mid-January couldn’t be ruled out. “Thus far, it doesn’t appear that Baltimore will see a bigger snow event until perhaps the week of Jan. 11,” the station cautioned.
For now, the region’s weather story is one of contrasts: a dramatic start to the year with snow squalls and wind chills, followed by a gradual easing into milder, more forgiving conditions. It’s a pattern familiar to anyone who’s spent a winter in the Mid-Atlantic—one where the only certainty is change, and where a quiet weekend can quickly give way to a snowstorm or a sudden thaw.
As the first week of 2026 unfolds, residents from Pennsylvania to Maryland can take comfort in the knowledge that, for the moment, the worst of winter’s fury has passed. But as always, the next chapter is just a forecast away.
