![[photo, Sailboats, Back Creek, Annapolis, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/37mun/annapolis/images/1198-1-3351.jpg)
![[photo, Murals on a sunny day, Wells St. at Hanover St., Baltimore, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/36loc/bcity/images/1198-1-428.jpg)
Temperature. Average annual temperature: 55.1 degrees Fahrenheit. High temperatures occur in July, the warmest month, averaging in the mid to upper 80s. Low temperatures in January, the coldest month, average in the low to mid 20s.
Since 1871, the mean temperature for Baltimore has been 54.6 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Maryland State Climatologist Office. The highest recorded annual average temperature was 59.2 degrees in 1931, and the lowest was in 1904, at 52.6 degrees.
Murals on a sunny day, Wells St. at Hanover St., Baltimore, Maryland, July 2003. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
![[photo, Annapolis waterfront, Spa Creek (near juncture with Severn River), Annapolis, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/37mun/annapolis/images/i004486b.jpg)
Precipitation. Average annual precipitation: 40.76 inches. Peaks in July and August when thunderstorms average once every five days.
Since 1871, Baltimore's recorded precipitation has averaged 41.94 inches a year, with the highest amount falling in 2003, when 62.66 inches fell. The lowest precipitation recorded was in 1930, when only 21.55 inches fell throughout the year.
Annapolis waterfront, Spa Creek (near juncture with Severn River), Annapolis, Maryland, May 2000. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
![[photo, Snowman Goin' to the Beach, Glen Burnie, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/36loc/an/images/1198-1-4924b.jpg)
Snow. Average seasonal snowfall: 20.6 inches. Ranges from 10 inches on the lower Eastern Shore to 110 inches in Garrett County. The most snowfall ever recorded in a single winter in Maryland was during the winter of 2009-10, when 262.5 inches of snow fell at Keysers Ridge in Garrett County.
Snowman "Goin' to the Beach", Glen Burnie, Maryland, January 2011. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
Winter Weather. In winter, the temperature averages 34.1 degrees. The Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland remain cool, while western counties experience colder weather, and more snow.
Weather in Maryland is fairly mild year round, though temperatures vary between areas of the State. Variances in temperature can be accredited to elevation, and coastal area. One example of this is the temperature difference recorded between the Savage River Dam in Garrett County, and Royal Oak on the Eastern Shore. Located between the towns of Accident and Westernport, Savage River Dam is 1,495 feet above sea level. Near Easton in Talbot County, Royal Oak's average elevation is only ten feet above sea level. In January, Maryland’s coldest month, average temperature for the two locales differs noticeably. Royal Oak's mean temperature is 36.1 degrees Fahrenheit, while that for Savage River Dam averages 26.2 degrees. This discrepancy continues in July, the warmest month, when mean temperatures are 69.7 Fahrenheit for Savage River Dam, and 78.6 degrees for Royal Oak.
Maryland is classifed at being temperate of climate, which is predominately determined as, in the Northern Hemisphere, being located between the Tropic of Cancer (23º 27' north latitude) and the Arctic Circle (66º 33' north latitude). Temperate climates are noted for possessing four distinct seasons. The U.S. Department of Agriculture further divides the nation by climate zones for use in regards to plant hardiness. Of these, Maryland contains five zones: 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b. This means that the average annual minimum temperature across the State can vary from -15 degrees in the mountains of Garrett County, to 10 degrees in southern Maryland and Ocean City.
Duration of the freeze-free period averages 185 days, ranging from 130 days in Garrett County to 230 days in southern Maryland and the lower Eastern Shore.
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