Weather

A powerful line of thunderstorms tore across Maryland on Saturday evening, capping a sweltering Fourth of July with flash flooding, water rescues, widespread power outages, downed trees and power lines, a four-alarm fire in Baltimore and the cancellation of holiday celebrations.

The Fourth of July weekend kicked off with delays, cancelations and infrastructure meltdowns as a triple-digit heat wave engulfed the region and placed Maryland under an extreme heat warning until after sunset.

Forecasters are expecting a high of 104 on Thursday and 103 on Friday.

As Maryland braces for extreme heat over Independence Day weekend, here are tips to keep your energy bill from rising.

Almost all of Maryland is under a heat advisory or an extreme heat warning Wednesday amid a heat wave expected to cook most of the mid-Atlantic and Midwest.

Marylanders can expect “very hot and humid conditions” that will spark “extreme heat risk,” especially to vulnerable people, including children and older adults, the governor’s office said in a press release. The State of Preparedness is expected to last from July 1-5.

A prolonged heat wave will drive temperatures dangerously high in Maryland ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.

Intermittent heavy rain, wind gusts and lightning could bring Sail250 participants and Orioles fans inside Saturday evening, according to the National Weather Service.

Before Sail250’s tall ships really have a chance to steal the spotlight in Baltimore this weekend, thunderstorms may try to rock the boat.

Winds could reach up to 60 mph with a low chance of isolated hail and a brief tornado threat Monday afternoon.

COLUMN | The solstice arrived at 4:24 a.m. Sunday. That’s the start of astronomical summer. It’s when you think about thunderstorms and their even more dangerous cousins, tornadoes and derechos.

Sunday is the solstice, marking the start of astronomical summer north of the equator.

Two projects for public water access in Anne Arundel were quickly amended out of next year’s budget. Advocates described feeling blindsided, and some officials decried the move as potentially motivated by politics.

Tropical Storm Arthur formed off the Texas coast on Wednesday as the first tropical storm of the season in the Atlantic basin, threatening a wide swath of the Gulf Coast with potentially dangerous flooding even as it was expected to quickly weaken.

Maryland residents could face another round of severe weather Sunday afternoon, with forecasters warning that thunderstorms may bring damaging wind.

A barrage of powerful thunderstorms and damaging winds caused wreckage in Maryland on Thursday and Friday, leaving one state park shuttered, communities without traffic lights and at least two people dead.

The dayslong heat advisory and severe storm threat are not expected to let up Friday.

The temperatures this summer could put you at risk of heat exhaustion, heat stroke or heat cramps. Health experts want Maryland residents to know the signs ahead of time.

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory as temperatures could feel as hot as 105 degrees.