Many Marylanders began 2026 with a blaring 4:30 a.m. weather alert that woke them from their post-party slumbers with a curious warning: snow squall.

The phone blast roused many families who had toasted the New Year just a few hours prior.

“Scared the bejeeesus outta me!” wrote one person on Reddit. “So unnecessary, woke up our newborn,” posted another.

An interactive National Weather Service map on New Year’s morning showed 0.3 inches of snow accumulation in Baltimore and 0.1 inch or less across most of Montgomery County. Those who peeked out their windows would notice little or no accumulation.

Wake up!

The early morning National Weather Service alert pinged phones across the Washington and Baltimore regions to warn about a potentially dangerous snow squall — an intense burst of heavy snow, coupled with high winds, that would severely limit road visibility.

They urged people to stay off the roads.

The warning went out for Howard and Montgomery counties, and parts of Baltimore and Carroll counties, along with other regions in Virginia and West Virginia.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jeremy Geiger said the purpose of such alerts is to warn people who are driving. The goal is to help people avoid dangerous pileups.

During a snow squall, “you can go from clear skies to white-out conditions,” he said.