A History of Maryland Winters: Snow, Wind, Ice, & Cold

(NOAA) Maryland's greatest winter storms are the "Nor'easters" or what some have called the "White Hurricane". It takes a certain set of ingredients to get heavy snow and wind across Maryland. First, an arctic air mass should be in place. High pressure builds over New England. Cold, arctic air flows south from the high. The dense cold air is unable to move west over the Appalachian Mountains and so it funnels south down the valleys and along the Coastal Plain. This is called "cold air damming". To the east of the cold air is the warm water of the Gulf Stream. The contrast of the cold air sliding south into the Carolinas and the warm air sitting over the Gulf Stream creates a breeding ground for storms. With the right meteorological conditions such as the position of the jet stream, storm development off the Carolinas may become "explosive" (sudden, rapid intensification with a dramatic drop in the central pressure of the storm). Continued

Image: Snow fence. Montgomery County, Maryland 1940 Jan. (Arthur Rothstein/FSA)