Schedule Change Wednesday For Harford County Schools Due To Thunderstorm, High Winds

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Due to forecasted high winds this afternoon, Harford County Public Schools will dismiss three hours early Wednesday.

"While weather is unpredictable, this early closure is necessary as the current weather forecast includes 40-60mph gusts of wind during dismissal hours. As you know, many students utilize our bus transportation and these weather conditions would make it unsafe to transport students during regular dismissal hours," the school district stated.

All field trips are canceled for March 5 and all afterschool/evening activities are canceled, as well.

Two rounds of thunderstorms could stir up serious wind Wednesday in Maryland. There's also a small risk of a tornado, hail and flooding.

"Some of these storms could be severe with damaging winds as the primary threat. The first round of storms looks to cross the area between noon and 4 p.m. with a secondary line along the front between 6-10pm," the National Weather Service said on Facebook.

The NWS is calling for southward winds of 18 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph.

Rainfall totals could range between a half-inch and three-quarters of an inch.
The NWS also issued a coastal flood advisory for the shoreline of Anne Arundel County from 4 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.

Tides 2.5 to 3 feet above normal are expected. At 3 feet, flooding starts on Compromise Street and at the Annapolis City Dock parking lot. The Wednesday high tides in Annapolis are at 9:39 a.m. and 9:26 p.m.

"Severe thunderstorms will be capable of producing damaging wind gusts, large hail and potentially an isolated tornado," the NWS said in another Facebook post.

Patchy fog may roll in after dinnertime, and the rain should continue overnight.

Related:

MD Thunderstorms To Bring Tornado, Hail, Flood Chances

Patch Editor Jacob Baumgart contributed to this article