Ah, Maryland. The land of crabs, O’s…and insane weather patterns! No joke, the weather here is all over the place during the winter time. It’s impossible to know how to dress from day to day. This time last year we were buried in snow and now we’re having unseasonably warm days. At the same time though, one day it will be -10 degrees and snowing and practically summer weather the next day. In fact it’s not uncommon to have all four seasons in a single day.
In the words of Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” In this case that box of chocolates in the weather. Whether you’re from here or not, here’s how to survive a Maryland winter.
Layer up!
This is a sure fire way to beat the constantly changing weather. Wear a t-shirt and leggings in case it ends up being a warm day, but at the same time make sure you have on sweat pants, a sweater, and a coat and hat! There’s a high chance that you’ll be shedding layers by noon and bundling up around 5:00.
Check the weather app DAILY.
The weather app is your friend! Without it you wake up in the morning thinking it’s going to be freezing like it was yesterday and an hour later it feels like the middle of summer and you feel weird wearing an Eskimo coat while everyone else is in shorts. Check what the weather is going to be throughout the day so you’re not that person getting weird stares in the afternoon because you’re dressed the wrong way.
Bring a change of clothes when you go out.
Another easy option is to bring a change of clothes. Bring whatever is the opposite of what you’re wearing and stick it in your car or bag because there’s a high chance the weather will be doing a complete 180. You think I’m exaggerating but one morning it will be snowing and by the end of the day the snow will have melted and you’ll wish you had brought clothes for sunbathing.
If you’re from out of state, beware!
Maryland seems to be an enigma when it comes to weather patterns. Other places are consistently cold or hot. Maryland is that kid that doesn’t know what they want and can’t make up their mind. Even us native Marylander’s don’t even know what to do. If you’re from up north constantly buried in 8 feet of snow prepare to be confused. And if you’re from somewhere like Florida or California where it’s always warm, well…good luck.
Consider going somewhere consistently warm for the winter months.
There are a lot of amazing things about Maryland. There are always things to do and places to go. But on the off chance that you like spending a lot of time so cold your bones are frozen to being caught wearing winter clothes in 80 degree weather, go somewhere more consistent until about late March.
