January 30 Washington Plane Crash Video And Potomac Ice Conditions Plus Heavy Rain Friday

January 30, 2025

Thursday Morning Report

The wind did live up to the advisory expectation yesterday. The plane accident in Washington last night was not affected by the wind, which was calmer at that time. I will have more on that situation, including the ice in the water below.

Peak Wind In Maryland on Wednesday

• 59 mph in Hagerstown
• 58 mph in Westminster
• 50 mph in Mount Airy
• 47 mph at BWI Airport/Baltimore
• 46 mph in Owings Mills

The next storm will reach us on Friday with heavy rain… The rain will arrive close to midnight and then bring the heaviest rainfall during the early afternoon.  You may get a few dry hours as the storm shifts the focus of rainfall…

This weekend will turn calm and seasonal. No really cold air in sight until perhaps next weekend.

Rainfall Deficit at BWI

Ending 2024 =  -8.00, since Jan 1 =  -1.77

So we are down -9.77 since last year!

Plane and Helicopter Crash Video

This was what I was able to show from the accident near Ronald Reagan National Airport last night.

American Airlines Plane Flight 5342 from Wichita and the U.S. Army PAT-25 (VH-60) helicopter were both in the Potomac off Highway 33.

Webcam from The Kennedy Center:

Ice Report:

As of this morning, this is still a SEARCH AND RESCUE Mission: There is hope for finding Survivors.

The Potomac River is 8 feet deep in that location. While the thaw did melt a lot of ice, there is still ice flowing in that region, and rescue attempts are still underway this morning.

This report shows ice coverage of between 30% and 70% in the river along and South of Washington, D.C.

Morning Surface Weather

We will have a quiet weather day as the winds have subsided.

The cold air air locked up to the North in Canada… So, as the next storm develops and moves out of Texas, it will be mostly a rain event.

The start may bring some icy, freezing rain in the Poconos.

Morning Temperatures

Afternoon High Temps

CLIMATE DATA: Baltimore

TODAY January 30

Sunrise at 7:16 AM

Sunset at 5:24 PM

Normal Low in Baltimore:  25ºF

Record -4ºF in 1873

Normal High in Baltimore: 44ºF

Record 72ºF 1914

Baltimore Seasonal Snow

8.9”

FRIDAY WEATHER

This will be our rainy day. It will be heavy in the afternoon, but later on, a band of rain will thin out and shift first north, then drop southward as the storm pulls away. So you may get a few dry hours…

Midnight Radar Forecast

Morning Temperatures

Radar Simulation: 7 AM to Midnight

This will start with icy, freezing rain across the Poconos of northeast PA.

Snapshots

Friday Afternoon

The steady and heavy rain will be afternoon through evening.

1 PM

3 PM

The band of rain may shift NORTH of Baltimore for a few hours…

Temperatures

Evening

9 PM

That band of rain is expected to drop southward. This would end the rain for metro Baltimore but keep the evening wet for Southern Maryland.

Midnight Friday Night

Rain will last a few more hours in Southern Maryland.

Rainfall Total: Model Comparison

ECMWF

GFS

NAM 3Km

Looking Ahead

Jet Stream: Next Monday to Sunday

The jet stream lifts north, and mild air is maintained most of the week. The next chance for a return of winter air may be by next weekend.

7 Day Forecast

Friday will be our rain day, followed by a seasonal weekend. Next week will have a surge of warm temps… Then, a mid-week weather event could tap into colder air. I am leaving that potential for my next forecast. The models are split on timing and wintry impact.

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ALSO SEE

Arctic Outbreak For January

If you missed it, here is my detailed report from December 30 about why this IS A BIG DEAL!

MY WINTER OUTLOOK

My Winter Outlook Report

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The Faith In The Flakes Dec 5 Origin Story

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RESTATING MY MESSAGE ABOUT DYSLEXIA

I am aware there are some spelling and grammar typos and occasional other glitches. I take responsibility for my mistakes and even the computer glitches I may miss. I have made a few public statements over the years, but if you are new here, you may have missed it: I have dyslexia and found out during my second year at Cornell University. It didn’t stop me from getting my meteorology degree and being the first to get the AMS CBM in the Baltimore/Washington region. One of my professors told me that I had made it that far without knowing and to not let it be a crutch going forward. That was Mark Wysocki, and he was absolutely correct! I do miss my mistakes in my own proofreading. The autocorrect spell check on my computer sometimes does an injustice to make it worse. I also can make mistakes in forecasting. No one is perfect at predicting the future. All of the maps and information are accurate. The ‘wordy’ stuff can get sticky.  There has been no editor who can check my work while writing and to have it ready to send out in a newsworthy timeline. Barbara Werner is a member of the web team that helps me maintain this site. She has taken it upon herself to edit typos when she is available. That could be AFTER you read this. I accept this and perhaps proves what you read is really from me… It’s part of my charm. #FITF