Columbia, Maryland Weather
Columbia, Maryland — live current conditions, hourly and 7-day forecasts, NWS alerts, radar and satellite imagery, tide predictions, marine conditions and a solunar fishing forecast for Columbia, Howard County.
Tides, marine forecast and fishing conditions near Columbia. Tide source:
Full aviation weather for Columbia is published on the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (KBWI) page, 16 km away. It carries the current METAR decoded into plain language — surface wind, visibility, cloud layers and ceiling, temperature and dewpoint, and altimeter setting — alongside the raw observation as transmitted. 4 airfields within reach of Columbia have their own pages, listed below.
The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) is shown across its full validity period, with each change group broken out so you can see when conditions are expected to shift. Flight category is derived automatically — VFR, MVFR, IFR or LIFR — from reported ceiling and visibility, with runway details and field elevation alongside. Observations update roughly hourly and forecasts several times a day.
Other airports near Columbia: Fort Meade Executive Airport (KFME) 19 km · Martin State Airport (KMTN) 38 km · Weide (Aberdeen Proving Ground) Army Heliport (KEDG) 50 km
Conditions reported at KBWI describe the airfield itself. Weather 16 km away can differ, particularly in terrain or near the coast. For conditions at Columbia specifically, see the current conditions and forecast above.
About Columbia, Maryland
Columbia, Maryland, unfolds across rolling terrain, a landscape shaped by gentle slopes and the presence of winding streams that feed into the Little Patuxent River. It lies 2.9 miles south-west of Ellicott City, MD (from Ellicott City, MD: bearing 230°T), and is situated 7.4 miles east-south-east of Howard. Its origins trace back to a visionary plan in the 1960s, transforming former farmland into a planned community designed to foster a unique sense of place. This deliberate creation has fostered a diverse economy, with a strong emphasis on technology, research, and professional services, attracting a skilled workforce. The spirit of innovation feels palpable, much like the soft, humid air that often settles in the valleys during summer evenings. Columbia was envisioned as a place where people could live, work, and play, a principle that continues to guide its development and economic vitality. Culturally, Columbia cultivates a vibrant and engaged populace, a characteristic reflected in its numerous community events and public art installations. The Merriweather Post Pavilion stands as a renowned landmark, drawing music lovers from across the region for its summer concert series, its open-air stage often bathed in the warm glow of twilight. While not home to a major university, the proximity to prestigious institutions like Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland contributes to the intellectual currents flowing through Columbia. Residents often gather for local festivals and farmers' markets, celebrating the bounty of the surrounding agricultural heritage that still subtly influences the area's character. The pace of life here allows for a quiet appreciation of shared spaces and the simple beauty of a well-tended park, a testament to the community's ongoing commitment to its founding ideals.
Live animated radar for Columbia and surroundings — RainViewer.
NOAA GOES-16 GEOCOLOR — live animated loop updated every 10 minutes. Shows cloud cover, storm systems and weather patterns across the continental US.
Source: NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East · Public domain · Auto-updates on page reload
| Location | Columbia, Howard County, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 39.240384°N, 76.839418°W |
| Timezone | Eastern Time (America/New_York) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 21042, 21044, 21045, 21046 |
| Area Code | 240, 301 |
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Weather data | Open-Meteo (open-source), NOAA National Weather Service |
About This Columbia, Maryland Weather Page
This page provides live weather conditions and forecasts for Columbia, Maryland, including current conditions, a 24-hour hourly forecast, 7-day outlook, NWS extended text forecast, precipitation radar and NOAA GOES-16 satellite imagery. Aviation weather — live METAR observations and TAF forecasts — is published separately on the pages for the nearest reporting airports, linked from the aviation section above. Additional sections may include tide predictions, wave height, wave direction and sea-surface temperature, a barometric pressure trend, and a solunar-based fishing forecast with a fishing-conditions rating for coastal localities, and soil temperature, crop weather and live USGS river gauge data for agricultural areas near a monitored waterway. All data updates automatically on every page visit.
Location data for Columbia includes coordinates 39.240384°N, 76.839418°W, situated in Howard County. ZIP code 21042, 21044, 21045, 21046. Telephone area code: 240, 301. Timezone: Eastern Time (America/New_York).
Weather data is sourced from the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) and the open-source Open-Meteo API. River and stream data is sourced from the USGS National Water Information System. Tide predictions are sourced from NOAA CO-OPS; marine and solunar data are modeled from Open-Meteo and public sunrise/moon calculations and should be treated as a general guide alongside on-the-water conditions. Radar is provided by RainViewer. Satellite imagery is sourced from NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East and is public domain.
