National Weather Service

A tornado with winds reaching 85 mph struck Franklin County, Pa., on Sunday afternoon, National Weather Service officials confirmed Monday. The path of the tornado was about six miles long and 100 yards wide. Investigators believe it moved forward with a speed of 35 mph. The tornado has been classified as an EF0, the weakest on the measurement scale, according to Craig Evanego, a meteorologist based in State College, Pa. The tornado that occurred from about 1:56 to 2:07 p.m. Sunday traveled off Williamsport Pike in the Greencastle area.

High winds coupled with a low moisture level on the ground will raise the threat for fire today in the Hagerstown area, according to the National Weather Service. The moisture level in the ground today will be 5 to 7 percent, which is low, said Heather Sheffield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. “Anything above 8 (percent), we don't have to worry about,” Sheffield said. A fire weather watch will be in effect for the area this afternoon, when wind gusts could reach 60 mph by late afternoon, the weather service said.

Clouds pass over downtown Hagerstown Friday. The National Weather Service on Friday issued a high-wind advisory with gusts of up to 60 miles per hour. A severe thunderstorm watch expired at 6 p.m. Friday.

A tornado watch for Washington County and surrounding counties, including the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, has been lifted, according to the National Weather service. The watch was issued at 9 a.m. Monday and was to have been in effect until 4 p.m. as a line of strong storms moved through the region. A tornado watch means that weather conditions are favorable for a tornado, said Brian LaSorsa, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. He said a tornado watch is a step below a tornado warning, which means a tornado is imminent.

The National Weather Service said Washington County residents can expect more blistering hot weather Sunday, with a high near 97 degrees. Showers and thunderstorms could move in today after 2 p.m. Today's low is expected to be in the mid-60s. Heather Sheffield, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said temperatures in the Tri-State area will remain above average this week. The average high for this time of year is 88 degrees. “It doesn't look like we're going to get much of a break,” she said.

A Canadian high-pressure system that ushered frigid temperatures into the Tri-State area is expected to break its grip this week as the system moves off the East Coast, according to a National Weather Service spokesman. Another cold front is headed to the area, but milder temperatures ahead of that system are expected to drive the mercury to about 49 degrees Tuesday, said Brian Lasorsa, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. The region will return to more normal conditions for January later this week.

Boating and other recreational activities on the upper Potomac River should be avoided through Wednesday because of hazardous water levels, the Maryland Natural Resources Police said. For more information on river conditions, call the National Weather Service at 1-703-260-0305.

Burnside Bridge Road, at the bridge over Antietam Creek, was closed Sunday night, according to Washington County Emergency Services. Earlier Sunday, some roads near Conococheague Creek were closed. On Sunday morning, Conococheague Creek at Fairview hit 13.63 feet and remained above the 10-foot flood stage Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service. By 4 a.m. Monday, the creek was at 11.4 feet, the weather service reported. It was expected to recede below flood stage after 2 p.m. Monday.

There were several calls to Washington County emergency communications of possible funnel-cloud sightings when a line of fast-moving storms moved through the county Saturday, but none were confirmed as tornadoes as of Saturday night by the National Weather Service. The center received about five calls about funnel-cloud sightings Saturday afternoon, a 911 dispatcher said Saturday night. Howard Silverman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va., said none were confirmed within its region, which includes much of Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia.

Snow is expected to move into the Tri-State area again this evening, possibly accumulating up to three inches by the time the storm system moves out of the region Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. The snow will probably begin after sunset and continue throughout Sunday afternoon, said meteorologist John Margraf. The heaviest snow is expected to stay to the south of the Tri-State Area, specifically in central and southern Virginia, Margraf said. As of Friday night, the chance of precipitation was 60 percent tonight and Sunday, Margraf said.

Temperatures in Hagerstown are flirting with daily record highs this week, and local residents took advantage of the warmest day of the year so far Tuesday just two weeks after more than 4 inches of snow fell on the city. Justin Blair of Hagerstown took to the one of the softball fields with his friends Tuesday morning at Martin L. “Marty” Snook Memorial Park in Halfway. He said he was not surprised by the dramatic shift from cold weather to warm weather in such a short period of time.

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.

Tuesday turned out to be a confusing day for local weather observers. The morning brought snow and other icy precipitation, and by late afternoon, a thunderstorm moved through the Hagerstown area. Such things can happen in winter, said Heather Sheffield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. The thunderstorm was the result of a line of showers ahead of a cold front, and the contrasting systems created instability in the atmosphere, Sheffield said.

A weather system that was expected to produce up to an inch of snow and a few hundredths of an inch of ice Friday morning missed the Hagerstown area. No measurable precipitation had fallen in Hagerstown as of 10 a.m., according to local weather observer Greg Keefer's website, i4weather.net . Tri-State area schools opened on time, with the execption of Heritage Academy west of Hagerstown, and Jefferson County (W.Va.) schools, which were on two-hour delay. A winter weather advisory issued by the National Weather Service was no longer in effect in Washington County by 9:40 a.m. Friday.

There could be snow and sleet this Christmas Eve as the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va., has issued a winter weather advisory for Washington County and Western Maryland that will be in effect until midnight. The forecast called for a chance of freezing rain Monday afternoon, the weather service said. Snow and sleet could accumulate up to an inch with “a trace” of ice accumulation. The chance of precipitation is near 100 percent, the weather service said. Conditions are expected to be substantially the same for Allegany County, the weather service said.

With the lingering aftereffects of Superstorm Sandy mostly over in Washington County Thursday afternoon, the attention turned to helping Garrett County residents dig out of up to 2 1/2 feet of snow, state officials said. State Highway Administration officials on Thursday said nearly 50 SHA personnel from Washington, Howard, Carroll and Allegany counties were deployed to help in ongoing state cleanup operations. From Washington County, two loaders, four dump trucks and two other vehicles were sent to Garrett County to help with clean-up there, which included clearing access to critical infrastructure including Garrett Memorial Hospital, Garrett College, several landfills and the Oakland Armory, which is an early voting site, according to State Highway Administration officials.

Thousands of Washington County residents were without electricity, dozens of roads were flooded and a threat of more rain and flooding remained at midday Tuesday after the remnants of Hurricane Sandy swept thorugh the county overnight. A flood warning remained in effect for Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg through Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. At 9 a.m. Tuesday, the creek had reached 9.3 feet, about a foot over flood stage. The creek is expected to crest at about 11.5 feet by 8 p.m. Tuesday, the weather service said.

A tornado watch remained in effect in Washington County and other parts of the Tri-State area Tuesday as a cold front accompanied by heavy rain moved through the region. The watch, affecting Washington and Frederick counties as well as Morgan, Berkeley and Jefferson counties in West Virginia, is in effect through 7 p.m., the National Weather Service reported. Southern Washington County is under a flash flood warning until 4:45 p.m. Southern Washington County and parts of Frederick and Jefferson counties were under a severe thunderstorm warning effective until 1:30 p.m., the weather service reported.

There were several calls to Washington County emergency communications of possible funnel-cloud sightings when a line of fast-moving storms moved through the county Saturday, but none were confirmed as tornadoes as of Saturday night by the National Weather Service. The center received about five calls about funnel-cloud sightings Saturday afternoon, a 911 dispatcher said Saturday night. Howard Silverman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va., said none were confirmed within its region, which includes much of Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia.

A tornado with winds reaching 85 mph struck Franklin County, Pa., on Sunday afternoon, National Weather Service officials confirmed Monday. The path of the tornado was about six miles long and 100 yards wide. Investigators believe it moved forward with a speed of 35 mph. The tornado has been classified as an EF0, the weakest on the measurement scale, according to Craig Evanego, a meteorologist based in State College, Pa. The tornado that occurred from about 1:56 to 2:07 p.m. Sunday traveled off Williamsport Pike in the Greencastle area.