Cold Front

By JENNYLYNN BROWN Staff Writer Had it been three degrees cooler, Thursday's high temperature would have set a July record. The high in Hagerstown was 65 degrees Fahrenheit at 4:55 p.m., and Thursday's low was 62 degrees at 4:52 a.m. "A rare, almost unheard of event. It's the second time in the last 100 years that it's been this cold in July," said Hagerstown weather observer Greg Keefer. The coolest date for this month was July 13, 1990, when the high temperature reached only 63 degrees.

Tax Day once again will bring summer temperatures to the region today, with the mercury expected to top out at around 80 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. But the warm weather won't be a record-breaker, said National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Woodcock. The local record temperature for April 15 is 85 degrees, according to local weather observer Greg Keefer's Web site at www.i4weather.com. The last time temperatures reached that mark on this day was in 1960.

Today is the first day of spring, but gardening, fishing an other outdoor activities might have to wait because the cold weather isn't ready to loosen its grip on the area. Temperatures are not expected to get higher than the low 50s for the rest of March with another cold front possibly moving in this week, said Steve Goldstein, meteorologist for the National Weather Service based in Sterling, Va. “It's looking like for the next 10 days we're going to have lower than normal temperatures in the mid-Atlantic,” he said Tuesday.

MARYLAND An arctic air mass that began in the Northern Plains and Great Lakes region shifted east, bringing with it a cold front across Maryland and much of the northeast Wednesday, according to an AccuWeather meteorologist. Rob Miller said the cold spell is expected to last through the weekend, but temperatures will warm up next week. "By Tuesday, temperatures should start moderating back into the 50s," Miller said Wednesday. Temperatures on Easter Sunday are expected to be close to those of Christmas Day 2006, Miller said.

An arctic air mass that began in the Northern Plains and Great Lakes region shifted east, bringing with it a cold front across Maryland and much of the northeast Wednesday, according to an AccuWeather meteorologist. Rob Miller said the cold spell is expected to last through the weekend, but temperatures will warm up next week. "By Tuesday, temperatures should start moderating back into the 50s," Miller said Wednesday. Temperatures on Easter Sunday are expected to be close to those of Christmas Day 2006, Miller said.

HAGERSTOWN - The official start of spring is more than two weeks away, but around Hagerstown on Monday, residents were more than ready to leave their winter coats at home as temperatures rose into the upper 60s. A Hagerstown weather station recorded a high of 67.9 degrees Monday afternoon, about 20 degrees higher than the city's normal high this time of year, according to data from www.i4weather.net . The record high for March 3 was 72 degrees in 1923, according to the site.

HAGERSTOWN -- With temperatures in the 90s for the third straight day, snow cones and sodas were the most popular choices Monday afternoon at the snack bar in City Park. Teresa Connolly of Hagerstown and her grandson were eating snow cones with some friends at a picnic table in the park. "I'm truly enjoying this," Connolly said of the weather as she fed 2-year-old Caidan Baker the frozen treat. Connolly said she spent time with family at Hersheypark in Pennsylvania and on the river this weekend.

Storm blamed in fatal accident, countless fender benders By KIMBERLY YAKOWSKI and JULIE E. GREENE / Staff Writer A swift-moving snowstorm Thursday was blamed for a Frederick County accident that claimed the life of a Myersville, Md., woman and caused countless fender benders across the Tri-State area. continued June Marie Shewbridge, 52, was pronounced dead at Frederick Memorial Hospital after her 1989 Chevy Cavalier Z-24 was hit head-on by a car driven by a Hagerstown man on U.S. 40 west of Shookstown Road, according to Maryland State Police.

pepperb@herald-mail.com WASHINGTON COUNTY - The forecast for Christmas day is chilly, but not nearly as wet or windy as Thursday, when gusts reached 72 mph in Smithsburg and wet road conditions proved hazardous for some motorists. National Weather Service meteorological technician Calvin Meadows said that at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday, a cold front accompanied by heavy rain moved across Washington County while temperatures were in the upper 50s. He said that cold front would cause temperatures to drop into the 30s today and to drop even lower on Christmas Day, when temperatures might fall to the low 20s. Meadows warned that high temperatures in the low 20s mixed with 10 mph to 15 mph winds would make it feel like five degrees below zero to 15 degrees below zero.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Stirring the exploding kernels vigorously with a wooden paddle, Harlan Hanson produced about 36 gallons of his Kettle Korn in just two minutes, and about one minute later made his first sale at the fifth annual Chambersburg IceFest. "Seems like it grows every year," said the Sarver, Pa., vendor, who has been to every festival since its inception. "Two years ago when it was really cold, it was our best year. " Cold is what the sponsors - Downtown Chambersburg Inc., the Downtown Business Council and the Council for the Arts - want for the next three days.