Snow

Two area ski resorts are reporting strong seasons thanks to cold temperatures and state-of-the-art snow making equipment. Compared to last year, Whitetail Resort in Mercersburg and Liberty Mountain Resort in Fairfield, Pa., are reporting excellent seasons. Don MacAskill, president and general manager at Whitetail Resort, said the resort is up 25 percent in overall visits this year over last. “That's quite significant,” MacAskill said. “Although we haven't had a great deal of natural snow, we have had excellent temperatures for making snow,” MacAskill said.

The snow emergency plan for Frederick County was lifted at noon Tuesday, Maryland State Police announced in an emailed news release. The plan had gone into effect at 10:30 a.m. after a wintry mix of preciptiation made roads hazardous. "Motorists are encouraged to use caution if the temperatures fall below freezing again and also be aware of the fact that the roadways remain wet," police said a the release.

The following area schools and school systems have delayed opening Thursday due to snow: Maryland Frederick County Public Schools - 2-hour delay (private elementary and secondary schools in the county are also on 2-hour delay)

Less than half an inch of snow fell overnight in much of Washington County and the surrounding area, prompting only a few school delays Tuesday morning. In the Hagerstown area, 0.2 of an inch of snow was on the ground at 7 a.m. Williamsport had 0.5 of an inch, and Maugansville had 0.8 of an inch, the National Weather Service said. The temperature was nearly 30 degrees at 7 a.m. Tuesday, according to Hagerstown weather observer Greg Keefer's website at http://i4weather.net . The snowfall locally was lower than the 1 to 3 inches of snow that had been predicted.

A dusting of snow prompted area schools to close or delay opening times Friday and made roads slick in spots. The temperature was around 24 degrees at 7:05 a.m. Friday after reaching 69 degrees on Wednesday and 40 degrees Thursday, according to Hagerstown weather observer Greg Keefer's website at http://i4weather.net . By about 7 a.m., .01 of an inch of precipitation had fallen on in the Hagerstown area. “There's not a lot of snow on the ground,” Diane Mongan of the Washington County Highway Department said.

A storm system that dropped nearly two inches of rain on Hagerstown on Wednesday and early Thursday has cleared the Tri-State area, but colder temparatures, high winds and possible snow are in the forecast. Flood warnings are in effect in some neighboring counties. Hagerstown received 1.74 inches of rain from the front, according to Hagerstown weather observer Greg Keefer's website, i4weather.net . On Thursday, the National Weather service is predicting a chance of light rain or snow showers for Washington County.

Extremely cold temperatures settled in over the Tri-State region last week, and with it came a couple small snowstorms that deposited several inches of accumulation. But did you notice how the snow was very fluffy and “drier” compared to snowfalls earlier this winter? Snow shovels were not needed in most cases for clearing off cars and driveways - a simple household broom or even a small leaf blower seemed to do the trick quite easily for most people around Hagerstown. And it's especially not good snow for snowball fights or making snowmen, according to HMTV 6 Meteorologist Brittany Beggs, who on Friday explained what was taking place high in the atmosphere to create the lightweight snowfalls last week.

Hagerstown could see between one and three inches of snow Friday afternoon and Friday night, according to HMTV 6 meteorologist Brittany Beggs. “All the models are showing it (falling) between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m.,” said Beggs, adding that accumulations could be greater in points west like Garrett County, Md. The chance for precipitation is 90 percent, according to the National Weather Service. Washington County and neighboring counties to the east, west and south are under a winter weather advisory through 7 p.m. Friday, the weather service said Friday morning.

A snow squall that dropped a couple of inches of snow on the Tri-State region Friday created slippery road conditions, resulting in dozens of accidents on Washington County roads and county schools to let students out two hours early. About “two or three dozen” accidents were reported due to the slippery conditions as of late Friday night, according to a Washington County Emergency Services supervisor. Although most were minor in nature, a fatal two-vehicle accident involving a passenger car and a tractor-trailer was reported at the intersection of U.S. 340 and Md. 67 near Weverton, the supervisor said.

Hitting the books after a fun-filled winter break packed with holiday magic can be a bit of a let down, but one Waynesboro Area Senior High School junior has the high school buzzing with excitement. Hannah-Kate Schlegel, 17, hatched an idea last summer to cultivate school spirit and have students kicking up their heels at the same time with a January dance. As her senior project, Hannah-Kate came up with the idea to resurrect the high school's Snow Ball defunct for several decades.