Snow Day Predictor for Maryland

Browse snow day predictions for all 76 cities in Maryland. Select your city to check tomorrow's school closure forecast.

Every city below links to its own live snow day forecast for Maryland. Find your city in the alphabetical list and click it to check today's snowfall probability and school closure forecast.

About Maryland

Maryland sits in the Mid-Atlantic, bordered by Pennsylvania to the north, Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Virginia and West Virginia to the south and west, and cut nearly in half by the Chesapeake Bay. It became the seventh state on April 28, 1788, and is home to more than 6.2 million people, per Census Bureau estimates. Few states pack more contrast into so little land. Maryland's economy runs on the Port of Baltimore, the federal government payroll in the DC suburbs, and a biotech and defense corridor anchored by Fort Meade, the NSA, and NIH. The Chesapeake Bay defines the state's food culture and coastline. Mountains in the far west and beaches in the far east give Maryland a split personality most small states never develop. That split personality is exactly why Maryland snow days are hard to call. A storm that closes schools in Garrett County's mountains might leave Ocean City with rain, while the same system dumps ice on Baltimore's rowhouse streets and barely dusts the Eastern Shore. Tracking Maryland weather means watching several different states at once.

Maryland Snow Day Climate and School Closures

How Maryland's Climate Affects Snow Days

NOAA's 1991-2020 normals show Maryland's snowfall varies enormously by region: Baltimore averages around 19 inches a year, Salisbury on the flat Eastern Shore gets closer to 8 inches, and Oakland in the Appalachian highlands of Garrett County averages over 100 inches, making it one of the snowiest towns in the Mid-Atlantic.

The January 22-23, 2016 blizzard, Winter Storm Jonas, dropped 29.2 inches of snow at BWI Airport, the heaviest single-storm total on record there, prompting a statewide state of emergency in Maryland. (National Weather Service Service Assessment)

What Causes School Closures in Maryland

Maryland closures hinge on ice more than snow depth in the Baltimore-DC corridor, where rowhouse streets and hilly secondary roads turn a glaze dangerous. In rural Garrett and Allegany counties, elevation and long mountain bus routes matter more. Coastal nor'easters bring wind and flooding to the Eastern Shore rather than deep snow.

Explore Snow Day Predictions Across Maryland

Maryland has 76 cities covered by the Snow Day Predictor. Predictions are updated hourly using real-time weather data from Open-Meteo.

Popular Cities to Check in Maryland

Baltimore. Baltimore, Maryland's largest city with roughly 570,000 residents, sits on hills above its harbor. Narrow rowhouse streets and steep grades mean a modest ice glaze can shut schools faster than several inches of dry snow.

Annapolis. Annapolis, Maryland's capital since 1694, sits directly on the Chesapeake Bay. Water proximity moderates temperatures, so storms here often arrive as sleet or freezing rain instead of clean snow, which is tougher on road crews.

Rockville. Rockville anchors Montgomery County, home to Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland's largest district with about 160,000 students. Its closure decisions draw outsized attention because so many federal workers and Washington commuters live in the county.

Salisbury. Salisbury is the Eastern Shore's largest city, sitting on flat farmland with little elevation change. NOAA normals put its average snowfall near 8 inches a year, less than half of Baltimore's typical winter total.

Oakland. Oakland, the Garrett County seat, sits at 2,451 feet in Maryland's Appalachians near Deep Creek Lake and Wisp Resort. It averages over 100 inches of snow a year, the snowiest total anywhere in the state.

Cumberland. Cumberland, the Allegany County seat, sits in a valley along the Potomac, boxed in by Wills and Haystack Mountains. That terrain shields it from the heavy snow piling up on nearby Garrett County's higher plateau.

A 5

Aberdeen Annapolis Arbutus Arnold Aspen Hill

B 4

Baltimore Bel Air Bethesda Bowie

C 11

Catonsville Chesapeake Beach Chestertown Cheverly Chevy Chase Clinton Cockeysville College Park Columbia Crofton Cumberland

D 1

Dundalk

E 8

Easton Edgemere Edgewood Eldersburg Elkridge Elkton Ellicott City Essex

F 2

Fort Washington Frederick

G 4

Gaithersburg Germantown Glen Burnie Greenbelt

H 3

Hagerstown Havre de Grace Hyattsville

J 2

Jessup Joppatowne

L 4

Landover Langley Park Laurel Lutherville-Timonium

M 3

Middle River Milford Mill Mount Airy

N 3

New Carrollton North Bethesda North Potomac

O 4

Odenton Olney Owings Mills Oxon Hill

P 5

Parkville Pasadena Perry Hall Pikesville Potomac

R 4

Randallstown Reisterstown Rockville Rosedale

S 6

Salisbury Severn Severna Park Silver Spring South Laurel Suitland

T 2

Takoma Park Towson

W 5

Waldorf Westminster Wheaton White Marsh Woodlawn

Frequently Asked Questions About Snow Days in Maryland

How much snow does Maryland get in an average winter?

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Statewide is misleading here, coastal Worcester County can see under 10 inches most winters while Garrett County in the far west often tops 100. Central Maryland, including Baltimore and the DC suburbs, typically lands in the 15-to-25-inch range, which is why forecasters talk about the state in three separate zones rather than one number.

What actually triggers a school closure in Maryland?

Individual county school systems, not the state, make the call, usually before 5 a.m. after transportation supervisors drive test routes and check road temperatures. Ice gets more weight than snow depth because Maryland's bus fleets run rural two-lane roads and steep Baltimore-area streets where a thin glaze is far more dangerous than several inches of dry powder.

Why does a Maryland snow day get so much national attention?

Because Montgomery, Prince George's, and other DC-adjacent counties sit next to the federal government, and a decision by Montgomery County Public Schools, one of the largest districts in the country, often shapes how federal offices and area employers handle the same storm, turning a local call into regional news well beyond Maryland's borders.

Was the 2016 blizzard Maryland's worst snowstorm?

It set the single-storm record at BWI, but February 2010's back-to-back nor'easters, nicknamed Snowmageddon, delivered more total snow over the month. The first storm on February 5-6 dropped roughly 25 inches on Baltimore, and a second system five days later pushed the city's monthly total to about 50 inches, the snowiest calendar month Baltimore has recorded.

Do all Maryland counties close schools on the same day?

No. Maryland's 24 school systems, one per county plus Baltimore City, each set their own closures independently, so it is common for Garrett County to close while Anne Arundel stays open, or for the Eastern Shore to dismiss early while Western Maryland cancels outright. There is no statewide snow-day order; the governor only steps in for extreme, multi-region emergencies.

How far in advance does Maryland decide on a snow day?

Most Maryland districts wait until early morning, often between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m., after buses run practice routes, because forecasts even 12 hours out can shift snowfall totals by several inches along the Chesapeake. A rare exception is a storm arriving mid-day, when districts may announce an early dismissal the night before instead of a full closure.