weather in Baltimore in December

[sealpup]

I am looking at the Pride leaving out of Baltimore Dec 27, 2020.  Just curious what the weather will be like .  Will I have to take warm clothes.  What will sail away be like.  At what point will the temperature change to warm?

[mskaufman]

We were on Grandeur in December 2019 (and Pride out of Baltimore in December 2017).

 

Cannot predict weather.  Last weekend it hit 70 degrees in Baltimore.  In 2017 the temperature was in single digits when we arrived back in Baltimore.  I think you, at least need to be prepared for it to be cold (and potentially windy).  It could also be raining or snowing (or bright sunshine). 

 

You should also be prepared for some rough seas.  As the captain said - it is the North Atlantic in the winter.

 

Sail-away is nice.  You go right past Ft. McHenry and under the Key Bridge (always looks like the ship will not fit). About 90 minutes later (In December it will certainly be dark by then) you go under the Bay Bridge.

[Turtles06]

14 hours ago, sealpup said:

Will I have to take warm clothes.

Only if you don’t want to freeze in the middle of the winter in Baltimore. 

[lenquixote66]

We cruised every December on the Grandeur from 2015 to 2018 and never experienced bad weather.

[navybankerteacher]

In December you could have anything from 20’s to 60’s and sunny to sleet/snow/freezing rain.  Be ready.

[mskaufman]

Sleet/snow/freezing rain.  All in this Saturday's forecast.

[georgiaguy]

We took a January cruise on the Pride a few years ago and it snowed that morning so as we departed there was snow on the ship. It was nice a few days later to be in the Bahamas and leave the coats in the cabin.  

[BND]

Our coldest weather usually kicks in just after Christmas into mid-Jan in the DC/Baltimore area.  More than likely it will be cold and it could snow.  But, I will tell you, when we cruise out of Baltimore or NJ when it's cold I wear warm clothes to board and after that I start wearing shorts, capris, jeans with short sleeve shirts, etc because the inside of the ship is climate controlled and my vacation has started.  This of course is when we are going south and not north.

[Cruisingformetime]

Concur with the other posters here. Baltimore in winter is a grab bag. Maryland said "hold my beer" when Mother Nature said you can't have all four seasons in a week. However, it is chillier on the water. Temperature could be anywhere from 20-60F but is most likely to be in the mid to upper 40's. Add a wind chill coming off the water and potential rain, and heaven knows. Snow isn't common in December in Baltimore, but can happen.

[waterbug123]

On 1/15/2020 at 3:31 PM, lenquixote66 said:

We cruised every December on the Grandeur from 2015 to 2018 and never experienced bad weather.

 

That's wonderful for you, but it's also a bit lucky.  While the day or two each year that you were in Baltimore in December was nice, I'm sure at some point in each of those Decembers the weather was cold, so the OP will need to look at the forecast a day or two before their cruise and plan accordingly, knowing just about anything is possible.

 

11 hours ago, Cruisingformetime said:

Concur with the other posters here. Baltimore in winter is a grab bag. Maryland said "hold my beer" when Mother Nature said you can't have all four seasons in a week. However, it is chillier on the water. Temperature could be anywhere from 20-60F but is most likely to be in the mid to upper 40's. Add a wind chill coming off the water and potential rain, and heaven knows. Snow isn't common in December in Baltimore, but can happen.

 

Even as far south as Charleston where I live, November-April is a total crapshoot.  Could be 40, could be 80, could be sunny and beautiful, could be thunderstorms or even (rarely) ice or snow.  Heck, some years ago we sailed out of Port Canaveral in February and while most would think, "oh that's Florida, it'll be warm even in Feb " we froze our butts off on embarkation day.  Even with fleeces and sweatshirts, it was difficult to remain outside once the ship was moving because the wind made it that much colder.

[msmit002]

Pretty much what everyone else said.  The decision as to how many layers you pack/wear when embarking and disembarking in Baltimore is a game-day decision. Pay attention to the weather the week leading up to your trip. I also strongly suggest coming to town the day before. We do get snow/sleet/ice from time to time - enough to really booger up traffic in central Maryland.  And booger up the roads it does because we just don't get it with enough regularity to have a large fleet of trucks and personnel to plow and salt with the efficiency that our northern and northwestern neighbors have.  BWI is a great mid-sized international airport, but winter weather does cause delays and cancellations.

Bottom line: we've seen absolutely stunningly warm and sunny weather and back-to-back 20"+ blizzards in December.  Both from time-to-time in the last 5 years or so.