Winter Storm

The Maryland State Highway Administration is preparing for a possible winter storm this weekend, SHA spokeswoman Kellie Boulware said Friday. "We haven't heard any final reports yet," Boulware said Friday morning. "As the day goes on, we'll adjust as we need to. " Boulware said that even if there is no storm, motorists should still be careful. "We're still in February," she said. "People need to make sure their vehicles are in proper condition, and they need to keep their emergency service kits on them.

A late-winter storm caused a lot of cancellations but few problems Wednesday, and in some areas, accumulations were a lot lower than predicted. Weather forecasters said Tuesday that eight to 12 inches of snow could fall in the area but Hagerstown only received 2.7 inches, Hagerstown weather observer Greg Keefer said at his website www.i4weather.net . The storm also moved through the area faster than expected, said Kevin Witt, a meteorologist with...

WASHINGTON COUNTY For the boys in the Bower family, their previous state of residence conjures up images of hurricanes. Snow, they said, is not as scary. "We play in it," 5-year-old Justin said Monday while walking with his brothers and father, Eric Bower, near The Home Depot at the Centre at Hagerstown. Eric Bower carried a new shovel and a jug of salt. The Bowers, who moved to Maugansville from Florida, were preparing for a winter storm that forecasters said could deliver a wintry mix today and Wednesday.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- The winter storm forecast to dump a mix of sleet, freezing rain and snow on the area Tuesday night brought mostly light snow and slush. The forecast included possible ice accumulations of one-tenth to three-tenths of an inch. About 1.46 inches of precipitation fell in Hagerstown, most in the form of snow and rain, according to the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. The storm system wasn't able to keep enough cold air locked into it to make it a major event, said meteorologist Steve Zubrick of the National Weather Service.

Winter storm warnings for Washington County and the surrounding area were lifted Saturday morning after a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain coated the region, the National Weather Service said. The warning for Washington County, Md., and Morgan, Berkeley and Jeffrerson counties in West Virginia, was canceled at 10:25 a.m. the weather service said. A subsequent winter weather advisory was lifted by 12:30 p.m. A winter storm warning for Fulton County, Pa., and a winter weather advisory for Franklin County, Pa., were lifted at 10 a.m., according to the weather service.

Roofs collapsed in Connecticut, part of an airport hangar caved in near Boston, and people climbed onto roofs in Massachusetts to shovel about a foot of heavy snow off structures to prevent further damage from a winter storm this week that was one for the ages. In the Philadelphia region, icy conditions knocked out power to more than 260,000 customers, and in Chicago, hundreds of people were trapped in cars on Lake Shore Drive for as long as 12 hours during one of the worst winter storms in the city's history that left snow piled up to windshields.

The forecast for Wednesday might be 4 to 8 inches of snow in the Hagerstown area, but Edwin Plank said weather officials haven't been too accurate lately. Plank, director of the Washington County Highways Department, pointed to last Thursday when forecasters said 3 inches of snow could fall on the area. It didn't happen. "Maybe it will do that again, and we'll be lucky," Plank said Tuesday afternoon. National Weather Service meteorologist Heather Sheffield said some of the recent storms have been tough to predict.

Tri-State area residents this morning were dealing with another blast of winter weather that closed schools and left roads slick. A winter storm warning remains in effect throughout the area until 6 p.m., the National Weather Service said at 11:52 a.m. The snow emergency plan was still in effect as of 2:50 p.m. in Washington and Frederick counties, according to Maryland State Police. As of 11 a.m. today, Hagerstown weather observer Greg Keefer reported that the storm had produced 2.1 inches of snow and ice. Nearly all schools were closed Tuesday and again today in Washington County, the three West Virginia Eastern Panhandle counties, and Franklin and Fulton counties in Pennsylvania.

As of 6:46 p.m., the Washington County 911 center had handled a little more than 180 calls throughout the day and evening for crashes and disabled vehicles, a 911 supervisor said. The snow and ice that fell throughout the day turned Interstate 68 into a parking lot Wednesday afternoon when authorities had to close the road. The supervisor said I-68 westbound from Hancock to the Allegany County line was closed starting from about 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. because there were so many disabled tractor-trailers and vehicles on the interstate, which made it difficult for snow plows to work on the road, the supervisor said.

Schools across the Tri-State area are closed today or plan to close early as a winter storm moves into the Tri-State area. Closed all day Berkeley County, W.Va., public schools Jefferson County, W.Va., public schools Morgan County, W.Va., public schools Gateway Christian Academy Faith Christian Academy Bolivar Christian Academy Country Day School Calvary Christian Academy Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Frostburg State University (main campus)

The first day of spring might be Wednesday, but Old Man Winter is expected to have his way Monday. Snow is expected to start moving into the Hagerstown area Monday morning, and the city could see 1 to 2 inches of snow from the system, according to the National Weather Service, A winter weather advisory is in effect for Washington and Frederick counties in Maryland; Franklin County, Pa., and Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties in West Virginia...

The following Tri-State area schools and school systems are closed Wednesday due to the winter storm: Maryland Washington County Public Schools Broadfording Christian Academy Emmanuel Christian School Gateway Christian Academy Grace Academy Heritage Academy St. Maria Goretti High School St. Mary Catholic School Truth Christian Academy Hagerstown Community College Kaplan University University System...

A late-winter storm caused a lot of cancellations but few problems Wednesday, and in some areas, accumulations were a lot lower than predicted. Weather forecasters said Tuesday that eight to 12 inches of snow could fall in the area but Hagerstown only received 2.7 inches, Hagerstown weather observer Greg Keefer said at his website www.i4weather.net . The storm also moved through the area faster than expected, said Kevin Witt, a meteorologist with...

Here is a list of tips from offered by FirstEnergy in a press release and Potomac Edison spokesman Todd Meyers to prepare for the winter storm and deal with potential power outages: Keep a flashlight and extra batteries on hand before the storm arrives so you do not have to go out into the storm and get them after the power goes out. Have extra blankets or sleeping bags to stay warm. Do not use gas stoves, kerosene heaters, or other heat sources that could cause carbon monoxide gas to build up. Be careful when using candles.

In preparation for a winter storm that was expected to move into the Tri-State area Tuesday evening, road crews were pre-treating the roads, plow trucks were positioned in key locations, and utility workers from three companies in Ohio were on the way to the area.  The Maryland State Highway Administration on Tuesday was pre-treating secondary roads in Washington County, including Maryland and U.S. numbered routes, with salt brine, according to...

As of 6:46 p.m., the Washington County 911 center had handled a little more than 180 calls throughout the day and evening for crashes and disabled vehicles, a 911 supervisor said. The snow and ice that fell throughout the day turned Interstate 68 into a parking lot Wednesday afternoon when authorities had to close the road. The supervisor said I-68 westbound from Hancock to the Allegany County line was closed starting from about 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. because there were so many disabled tractor-trailers and vehicles on the interstate, which made it difficult for snow plows to work on the road, the supervisor said.

Hagerstown and the surrounding area woke up Tuesday to a white Christmas, much of which had melted by the evening as another storm was expected to bring a wintry mix, including ice, that would make travel treacherous Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. On Christmas Day, the National Weather Service upgraded a winter storm watch for the region to a winter storm advisory, as up to two-tenths of an inch of ice accumulation is expected in the Hagerstown area and along the Interstate 81 corridor through Wednesday night, meteorologist Jared Klein said.

Washington County is expected to miss a winter storm this weekend that could drop up to six inches of snow in Garrett County and create blizzard conditions that could make driving dangerous, according to the National Weather Service and state highway officials. Although Hagerstown could see rain and snow showers after 10 a.m. Friday, the heaviest snowfall is expected to fall along a line on the western edge of Allegany County, said Andy Woodcock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. The heavy snow will extend west from there and the Maryland State Highway Administration said there could be blowing and drifting snow in the hard hit areas.

Snow is expected Sunday in Western Maryland and West Virginia, but the heaviest accumulations should miss the Hagerstown area, the National Weather Service said Saturday. As of 2:30 p.m. Saturday, the weather service was forecasting only a 40 percent chance of snow for Hagerstown on Sunday. The snow was expected to begin falling after 1 p.m., with accumulations of less than a half inch, according to the NWS. The high temperature Sunday was expected to reach 37 degrees. There's a 30 percent chance of addtional snow Sunday night, with a low temperature around 26 degrees, according to the weather service.

The Maryland State Highway Administration is preparing for a possible winter storm this weekend, SHA spokeswoman Kellie Boulware said Friday. "We haven't heard any final reports yet," Boulware said Friday morning. "As the day goes on, we'll adjust as we need to. " Boulware said that even if there is no storm, motorists should still be careful. "We're still in February," she said. "People need to make sure their vehicles are in proper condition, and they need to keep their emergency service kits on them.