Maryland weather: Heavy rain, winds cause power outages, flooding; some schools will start late Wednesday
Jan. 8—By Dan Belson — dbelson@baltsun.com, Tony Roberts — troberts@baltsun.com and Christine Condon — chcondon@baltsun.com
PUBLISHED:January 8, 2024 at 8:42 a.m.| UPDATED:January 9, 2024 at 10:24 p.m.
Heavy rains and wind have caused thousands to lose power and flooding in Baltimore's Fells Point.
Tuesday's rain in the Baltimore area is expected to persist into the night, with heavy precipitation forecast to be met with gusty winds, according to the National Weather Service.
City emergency management Chief James Wallace said there is flooding along Jones Falls, Herring Run and Gwynns Falls. There is tidal flooding on Wolf and Thames streets. They are monitoring tidal flooding near the Inner Harbor.
"We have so many people working right now, so I can't tell you exactly the severity of the flooding," Wallace said. "It's pretty dynamic right now."
The projected rainfall, accompanied by warnings for flooding and heavy winds, prompted area schools to cancel activities or dismiss students early. At 9:23 p.m., more than 32,000 BGE customers were reporting outages. Between noon and 8 p.m., Maryland State Police reported 79 crashes, 40 roadway hazards and 18 stuck vehicles as well as 361 calls for service answered.
For Wednesday, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Harford County and Howard County schools announced that they will start two hours late.
Gov. Wes Moore declared a "state of preparedness" Tuesday, a recently created status that activates the Maryland Department of Emergency Management to coordinate a response when an incident is likely to disrupt the lives of Marylanders, but falls short of necessitating a full state of emergency.
Over 1 1/2 inches of rain is forecast to fall in downtown Baltimore. A coastal flood warning is in effect for parts of Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County, as high tides expected from the heavy Tuesday rain could bring water onto streets in downtown Baltimore and flood waterfront areas in Bowleys Quarters and Annapolis.
Reports from Annapolis showed flooding at City Dock on Tuesday evening.
There's about 4 feet of flooding in Anne Arundel, said Kasey Thomas, Anne Arundel County's Emergency Management public information officer. Anne Arundel County expects to reach up to 4 feet of flooding between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. during high tide. There have been 30 road closures from flooding and downed trees. There are also about 9,000 outages reported in Anne Arundel County.
A high wind warning will be in effect until 1 a.m. Wednesday. Southeast winds are expected to reach speeds 31 mph, with gusts up to 55 mph. These winds have the potential to cause unsecured objects to become airborne and could result in tree limbs falling, leading to power outages.
The flood warning runs until 1 a.m. Thursday, as tides could rise as high as 5 feet above normal. The heavy rains could also cause flooding of inland rivers and streams, according to the weather service.
Tuesday, Howard, Harford and Baltimore counties dismissed students three hours early. Carroll and Anne Arundel schools dismissed two hours early. Baltimore City schools opted to simply cancel after-school activities.
Cecil County Public Schools closed at noon for secondary and 1 p.m. for elementary students. Preschool was canceled.
Baltimore City residents will be able to park in city-owned garages in Fells Point, Harbor East and Little Italy. Parking is free at the Fleet & Eden Garage starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday and at Little Italy and Caroline Street garages starting at 4 p.m., but proof of residency is required.
Parking is on a first-come, first-served basis, and vehicles parked in these garages must move from Baltimore-owned garages after the storm and no later than 8 a.m. Wednesday for the Little Italy and Caroline Street garages and noon for the Fleet and Eden Garage.
The time frame could be extended depending on the conditions.
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The city's winter shelters are activated from Tuesday at 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. Friday, meaning that they will provide extended shelter to people experiencing homelessness. Those in need are advised to call the shelter hotline at 443-984-9540 prior to 9 p.m. or 410-305-7132 between 9 p.m. and midnight.
The rain is expected to slow around 9 a.m. Wednesday, with conditions clearing up in the afternoon to a partly sunny day with winds of up to 22 mph and gusts as high as 40 mph.
Thursday is forecast to be sunny, with a high close to 52 degrees.
Rain will likely return Friday mostly after 1 p.m. with temperatures reaching a high of around 55 degrees.
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Flood water moves up in parked car on Aliceanne Street. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
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Storm flooding caused closure of Aliceanne at Washington streets in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
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Storm flooding caused closure of Aliceanne at Washington streets in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
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A police officer is closing Aliceanne Street near Washington Street during a heavy rain. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
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Jan. 09, 2024: City Dock in Annapolis begins to flood Tuesday afternoon. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
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Jan. 09, 2024: City Dock in Annapolis begins to flood Tuesday afternoon. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
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Jan. 09, 2024: City Dock in Annapolis begins to flood Tuesday afternoon. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
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The city deployed new flood prevention technology on Compromise Street. The accordion-style, tent-like barrier that can be laid down across an area of land. The barrier fills up with water, preventing flooding from going farther. the technology was observed at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands.xc2xa0(Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
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Jan. 09, 2024: The City of Annapolis provided sandbags to residents and businesses at City Dock prior to expected rain and flooding. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
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Jan. 09, 2024: Resident Fred Muir loads sandbags into his car. The City of Annapolis provided sandbags to residents and businesses at City Dock prior to expected rain and flooding. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
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Jan. 09, 2024: Department of Public Works personnel fill and load sandbags for residents. The City of Annapolis provided sandbags to residents and businesses at City Dock prior to expected rain and flooding. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
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