National Guard, State of Emergency Called in HarCo

HARFORD COUNTY, MD – County Executive Barry Glassman has declared a local state of emergency in Harford County and requested assistance from the National Guard.

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Harford County is under a blizzard warning from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Sunday, and citizens are advised to stay off the roads this weekend.

The National Weather Service is projecting 23.5 inches of snow in Bel Air between Friday and Sunday morning.

Harford, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties are also under a high wind warning from 1 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 23.

Winds may be 40 mph with gusts of 58 mph or more, according to the National Weather Service, which advised citizens to “anticipate power outages” and stay in the lower levels of their homes if large trees are nearby.

“This is a very dangerous storm and we should treat it as such,” Harford County Emergency Manager Rick Ayers said. ”I would expect widespread power outages that may last for several days.”

The Harford County Emergency Operations Center is activated and reachable at 410-838-5800.

The Bel Air Police Department and/or Bel Air Department of Public Works will also be staffed around the clock, and police said shelters would be established in the event of power outages.

• Hour-by-Hour Snow Timeline for Bel Air
• Snow Emergency on Maryland Highways in Effect
• Closings in Harford County for Weekend Blizzard
• State of Emergency as Blizzard Aims for Maryland

Full Message from Emergency Manager Rick Ayers on Jan. 22

“Good Evening, This is Emergency Manager Rick Ayers with a daily weather update. Harford County Executive Barry Glassman has declared a Local State of Emergency and we have requested National Guard Assets. The Blizzard Warning is now in place and we can expect 18 to 24 inches of heavy snow and potentially more. Harford County has also been placed under a High Wind Warning and we can expect wind gusts up to 65 mph. This is a very dangerous storm and we should treat it as such. I would expect widespread power outages that may last for several days. The Harford County EOC is activated at this time and the Harford County Hot-Line will be activated tonight at 7 PM and that number is (410) 838-5800.”

Photo Credit: Harford County Government.