Weather

UPDATED: Howard County Declares Snow Emergency

Stay tuned for updates on the winter storm and how it will impact HoCo.

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Elizabeth Janney, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
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COLUMBIA, MD (UPDATED 7:05 a.m.) — The Nor'easter is fast approaching the Baltimore-Washington area, and she's bringing lots of snow with her.

The snow emergency plan is in effect in Howard County as of 3 p.m. on Monday, March 13, meaning there is no parking on roads designated as snow emergency routes.

We'll be keeping a live stream of updates on the weather — and any changes to the forecast — in this post throughout the day, so stay tuned.

Find out what's happening in Columbiafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

How much are we going to get? Snow and sleet will measure anywhere from 2 to 4 inches in Howard County, with the greatest accumulations northwest of Interstate 95, the National Weather Service says.

When is it going to hit? A winter weather advisory is in effect until 2 p.m. The winter storm warning has been canceled. The advisory calls for snow, sleet and freezing rain. A freezing rain-sleet mix will change to all snow by mid morning and continue until mid-day. Roads will be slippery.

Find out what's happening in Columbiafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Will schools be closed? Check on school closings here.

Will trash be picked up Tuesday? No. Howard County has canceled trash, recycling and food scrap collection on Tuesday, March 14. Pickup will slide one day for the remainder of the week.

When will my street get plowed? Get the latest on the plowing progress via the Howard County Snow Plow Tracker. The county also offers tips on shoveling below.

What did the county do to prepare? Howard County highway crews have been pre-treating major roads with salt and a liquid salt-brine mixture to help prevent freezing. The State Highway Administration handles state roads like US 1, US 40, US 29, MD 32 and MD 108, and has been pretreating those. The state has jurisdiction at intersections with state and county roads, according to Howard County government.

How can I prepare? Charge electronic devices and make sure you have batteries, a snow shovel and salt as well as food and water. Fill up the gas tank in your car. Check on neighbors and older adults. In the event of a power outage, call BGE at 1-877-778-2222 or report the outage online.

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Photo courtesy of Howard County government from January 2016 snow.

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