Maryland Weather: Record Warmth & Whipping Winds On Tap For Saturday

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Our Purple Friday is looking more gray than anything else.

Despite an abundance of clouds, temperatures will climb into the mid-50s, topping out about 10-12° warmer than Thursday.

We stay dry for the majority of the day, with chances for showers increasing Friday evening and later on.

While any showers we get late Friday will be plain rain, severe weather is possible on Saturday.

In fact, the first half of our weekend is shaping up to be very warm and windy before becoming very stormy in the evening.

Most of Maryland is under a Wind Advisory from 4 p.m. Saturday through 1 a.m. Sunday.

During that time frame, we will likely see west winds between to 15 to 25 mph, with gusts packing speeds up to 55 mph.

Highs on Saturday will reach the low 70s. That means we'll likely break the current record of 69° for Dec. 11 set in 1979.

While this record-breaking warmth is certainly notable, the severe storms that arrive in the evening are worth keeping an eye on, especially this time of year when we're better prepared for snow than spring-like storms.

Saturday's very warm temperatures play a big part of the active weather we're expecting.

Things will be breezy even before the Wind Advisory takes effect, with southwest winds around 15 to 25 mph and gusts up to 35 mph.

Expect a cold front and associated storms to track through central Maryland between 4 and 8 p.m.

With mild air in place, and cold air crashing in, the collision of the two will trigger those strong winds.

The Storm Prediction Center has placed central and northern Maryland under a marginal risk for severe storms.

That means that of the scattered storms we're expecting, an isolated storm could become severe.

Skies will clear quickly in the wake of the front, leading to a bright and noticeably cooler Sunday.

Highs that day only make it to about 50°.