winter in Frederick (Baltimore, Hagerstown, Hancock: 2014, how much, dangerous)

[vanduzz123]

Looking to get some info on the winter weather in Frederick.
What are the average temperatures? Which months? Is it usually dark and grey October-March?
How is the wind chill?
How much snow do you usually get?

Thanks!

[westsideboy]

//www.city-data.com/city/Frederick-Maryland.html

You came to the right site.

[vanduzz123]

So can you please let me know?
How are the winters.
Potentially moving to Frederick from the West coast

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by vanduzz123

So can you please let me know?
How are the winters.
Potentially moving to Frederick from the West coast

Follow the link. Scroll down.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by vanduzz123

So can you please let me know?
How are the winters.
Potentially moving to Frederick from the West coast

The information in the link I provided will give you month by month averages for all of your weather questions, far better than what I can tell you. You have to scroll down to find it though.

[jflanagan]

Data aside...

October is usually nice with cool, crisp air and beautiful fall colors. Tons of activities and festivals in October.

November and December can be cold, but IMO the worst winter weather happens in January and February, and maybe the beginning of March. When I say "worst," I mean snow, ice, dark and grey, etc. Every year is different in terms of snowfall. There's no "usual." You can have blizzards (we had 50 inches of snow in 5 days a few years ago) or you can have a relatively quiet winter, like last year, when it didn't snow till March. Other times we've had 60 degrees in January. That's where the averages can be deceiving.

Just west of Frederick, the weather can be worse because of the mountain range. Places that look close on the map, e.g. Myersville, Hagerstown, Hancock can have a lot more snow.

Good luck! Bring your gloves!

[MidValleyDad]

Winter in Frederick is unpredictable. Some years we get a lot of snow some years we get almost none. There are always short periods of very cold weather (0 degrees at night for several nights) and there always seems to be a mid winter week where folks are running around with no coats and even short sleeves.

In the last few years I can remember back to back snow storms of over 15" each and a total accumulation of 35+ inches with blowing drifts of 5-6 feet+. But last year it was mostly rain and only a couple short small snow storms. We sometimes get ice storms instead of snow. I think they are worse.

Some people will panic when there are two flakes in teh air, others will pretend it doesn't make a difference and not change their driving style. Both are dangerous.

[Borntoolate85]

Frederick is in the leeward side of the mountains, but far enough away from the Chesapeake Bay and ocean where the moderating influences that often as Baltimore and DC rain during some winter storms where as Frederick gets sleet, snow, or worse yet, freezing rain, which can be a problem since Frederick sits in a valley between the front range of the Appalachians and the piedmont to the east. It can also be foggier as a result in the mornings, especially in the "ber" months. However, it's less cloudy than it is compared to places in the mountains and towards the Great Lakes, and lake effect snow is rare. But if you like skiing, Frederick is just a half hour from Ski Liberty and Whitetail for bunny runs, and just over two from Wisp and a few other resorts in PA, WV, and VA, you'll usually have to wait until December or even January for the close-in resorts for skiing to be good. You'll only encounter a White Christmas approximately once every five-ten years, with the last instance being in 2009 (though Frederick had a White Thanksgiving in 2014).

IMO Frederick winters are quite similar to Philadelphia's in terms of snowfall/daytime temperatures, but the nights and mornings are often a little colder. IMO the wind is the biggest factor towards the comfort level in the winter, since with proper attire when it's sunny with light winds with highs around freezing don't feel as bad as say a day with gusty winds and highs around 50. I still find summer to be the least pleasant season.

[tw71]

As a transplant from St. Louis, Missouri .... I'd say the weather in the Frederick area is like a milder "mirror" of the variations in temperature we used to get in St. Louis. The only times I really felt like it was "bitter cold/icky classic winter weather" out here was in that Jan-early March time frame. And some years, you really only get a few days you'd classify that way.

Originally Posted by jflanagan

Data aside...

October is usually nice with cool, crisp air and beautiful fall colors. Tons of activities and festivals in October.

November and December can be cold, but IMO the worst winter weather happens in January and February, and maybe the beginning of March. When I say "worst," I mean snow, ice, dark and grey, etc. Every year is different in terms of snowfall. There's no "usual." You can have blizzards (we had 50 inches of snow in 5 days a few years ago) or you can have a relatively quiet winter, like last year, when it didn't snow till March. Other times we've had 60 degrees in January. That's where the averages can be deceiving.

Just west of Frederick, the weather can be worse because of the mountain range. Places that look close on the map, e.g. Myersville, Hagerstown, Hancock can have a lot more snow.

Good luck! Bring your gloves!

[DaveinMtAiry]

I will second the comment that snow averages are very deceiving. Last year we literally got almost no snow at all, the year before we had one close to 30" (that was nearly gone by the following weekend). Winters are obviously longer than the west coast but not as long as Pittsburgh. The average temps don't deceive however, they are pretty accurate. The other issue will be the summer humidity. Not sure where you are coming from but the summers will obviously feel hotter to you.

But it's a really nice area and a good sized town, not too big but has most things you need.