Ellicott City Prepares For Major Winter Storm: Latest Forecast, Cancellations, How To Prepare

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — A winter storm warning is in effect for most of Maryland, with the exception of the state's Eastern Shore. Residents are being reminded by officials when roads will be cleared, how to stay warm and what to do to keep safe during the precarious weekend weather.

By Monday, Baltimore City could see 13 inches of snow on the ground. Nearby, predicted totals include more than 11 inches in Annapolis, nearly 14 inches in Bel Air, and 17 inches in Frederick and Westminster.

The winter storm warning encompasses Baltimore City and surrounding counties, including Montgomery, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Prince George's, Howard and Harford. The warning takes effect at 11 p.m. Saturday and stretches through 4 a.m. on Monday.

In the latest forecast update from the National Weather Service, the agency said snow will likely spread across the region Saturday night, becoming heavy at times with rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour possible. A mix of sleet or freezing rain is expected Sunday, the National Weather Service said, with significant icing possible, especially south of Highway 50. Visibility of one-quarter mile or less is possible at times.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency ahead of this weekend's winter storm and residents have been advised against traveling if possible.

"This winter storm has the potential to be remarkably dangerous, and it's not just going to impact Maryland," Moore said. "A storm of this size, of this magnitude, is one that needs to be taken very, very seriously."

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball told Patch that residents are asked to stay home and off the roads during the winter weather event, since travel could become hazardous and potentially life-threatening, as well as "extremely difficult or impossible at times."

"The county's office of emergency management encouraged residents to grab any groceries or medication that would be needed for this weekend into early next week before the storm hits. Be sure to have a fully stocked basic disaster supplies kit and another emergency kit in the vehicle, which includes extra batteries, a flashlight, blankets, clothes, food and water in case someone must travel and end up stranded," Ball said.

Vehicles should be refueled or recharged before the storm hits, too.

"In the case of potential power outages, making sure you have flashlights and batteries handy and cell phones and necessary medical equipment are fully charged with backup charging devices available," Ball told Patch. "If you use medical equipment in your home that requires electricity, talking to your doctor or health care provider about what you may be able to do to keep it running during a power outage. You can also ask your power provider (BGE or Potomac Edison) to put you on a list for priority power restoration. If you are on dialysis or other life-sustaining medical treatment, knowing the location and availability of more than one facility that can help you."

Ball also recommended residents establish a support network of people, whether that be family, friends, neighbors or others, who can help in an emergency. Be sure and check on the elderly or anyone with a disability who may need an extra hand with shoveling and other winter weather recovery efforts.

"Don't forget about pets or livestock during this prolonged cold period, either," Ball told Patch.

The county will be sharing important information regarding the storm on its Facebook and X pages.

On Saturday, Ball declared a state of emergency for Howard County. He also issued orders to restrict parking at the following locations, effective at 8 p.m. Saturday:

• Along Main Street in Historic Ellicott City from Ellicott Mills Drive to the Baltimore County line at the Patapsco River; and
• Residents and visitors in Historic Ellicott City are advised to move their cars to one of historic Ellicott City’s parking lots, which will remain open.

“The safety of our residents is always our top priority. In anticipation of this severe winter weather event and the sustained freezing temperatures expected over the coming days, I have declared a state of emergency for Howard County,” Ball said. “This action allows us to mobilize county resources and ensure we are prepared to keep roads passable and critical services operating. We urge all residents to take this storm seriously, limit travel when possible and follow posted parking restrictions so our crews can work safely and effectively to protect our community.”

Related: MD Snow Totals Up In Latest Weekend Storm Forecast

Parking, traveling

Vehicles traveling on the roads when a snow emergency plan is in effect must have snow or all-weather radial tires or chains, officials noted.

No parking is allowed along designated snow emergency routes. Snowplow drivers must open up inlets and drainage outlets to prevent snow from packing on top and causing flooding problems. They also must clear a way to mailboxes. So residents are reminded to remove their vehicles from streets to allow snowplow drivers to have ample access to the roadway, as well as portable basketball hoops from the county right-of-way.

The Howard County Police Department encourages residents to stay off the roads and not drive if they don’t have to. Those who must travel are advised by the HCPD to do the following:

• Be sure to clear all snow and ice from your vehicle, including the roof and hood;
• Take extra time on the road, slow down and leave plenty of space between your car and the car in front of you;
• Minimize distractions and focus on getting safely to your destination; and
• If you hit ice, it is important that you stay calm, take your foot off the gas pedal immediately and avoid slamming on the brakes. Instead, try to steer gently in the direction you want to go, turning your steering wheel slightly towards the skid if your vehicle starts to slide and allow it to regain traction as much as possible without making sudden movements.

In Howard County, the following roadways have been identified as snow emergency routes and are subject to the state's snow emergency plan where no parking is allowed. These roadways are:

• All Saints Road from MD 216 to Whiskey Bottom Road
• Bethany Lane from MD 99 to US 40 West
• Brighton Dam Road from the Montgomery County line to Ten Oaks Road
• Broken Land Parkway from Little Patuxent Parkway to Guilford Road
• Cedar Lane from Harpers Farm Road to MD 32
• Centennial Lane from US 40 West to MD 108
• Columbia Road from Saint Johns Lane to Little Patuxent Parkway
• Court House Drive from US 40 to Ellicott Mills Drive
• Dobbin Road from MD 175 to Oakland Mills Road
• Dorsey Run Road from Guilford Road to MD 175
• Eliot Oaks Road from MD 108 to Harpers Farm Road
• Ellicott Mills Drive from Court House Drive to Main Street (Ellicott City)
• Folly Quarter Road from Triadelphia Road to MD 144
• Frederick Road from Rogers Avenue to Centennial Lane
• Gorman Road from US 29 to Leishear Road
• Gorman Road from Skylark Road to US 1
• Governor Warfield Parkway from Little Patuxent Parkway to Little Patuxent Parkway
• Harpers Farm Road from MD 108 to Little Patuxent Parkway
• Highland Road from Ten Oaks Road to MD 108
• Homewood Road from Folly Quarter Road to MD 108
• Johns Hopkins Road from Sanner Road to US 29
• Leishear Road from Gorman Road to MD 216
• Linden Church Road from MD 32 to Ten Oaks Road
• Little Patuxent Park from Columbia Road to Cedar Lane
• Main Street (Elkridge) from Old Washington Road to Furnace Avenue
• Main Street (Ellicott City) from the Baltimore County line to Rogers Avenue
• Maple Lawn Boulevard from Johns Hopkins Road to MD 216
• Marriottsville Road from MD 144 to the Baltimore County line
• Marshalee Drive from Montgomery Road/Shady Oak Lane to Montgomery Road/Deborah Jean Drive
• Mayfield Avenue from MD 108 to MD 103
• Montgomery Road from MD 103 to Old Washington Road
• Oakland Mills Road from Old Montgomery Road to Guilford Road
• Old Annapolis Road from Centennial Lane to Columbia Road
• Old Columbia Pike from Main Street (Ellicott City) to MD 103
• Old Frederick Road between Rogers Avenue and Baltimore County line
• Old Montgomery Road from Oakland Mills Road to Tamar Drive
• Old Montgomery Road from Tamar Drive to MD 108
• Old Washington Road from US 1 to US 1
• Phelps Luck Drive from Tamar Drive to MD 108
• Robert Oliver Place from Stevens Forest Land from Thunder Hill Road
• Rogers Avenue from US 29 to Frederick Road/Main Street
• Saint Johns Lane from Old Frederick Road to US 29
• Sanner Road from Cedar Lane to Johns Hopkins Road
• Scaggsville Road from Sweet Cherry Lane to Doves Fly Way
• Skylark Boulevard from Gorman Road to Three Moons Way
• Snowden River Parkway from Broken Land Parkway to MD 108
• Stephens Road from MD 216 Flyover to Gorman Road
• Stevens Forest Road from Broken Land Parkway to Robert Oliver Place
• Tamar Drive from Old Montgomery Road to Snowden River Parkway
• Tamar Drive from Snowden River Parkway to Old Montgomery Road (East)
• Ten Mills Road from MD 108 to Columbia Road
• Ten Oaks Road from Bridgton Dam Road to MD 108
• Ten Oaks Road from Linden Church Road to Highland Road
• Ten Oaks Road from MD 32 to Triadelphia Road
• Thunder Hill Road from White Acre Road to MD 108
• Triadelphia Road from Ten Oaks Road to Folly Quarter Road
• Twin Rivers Road from Harpers Farm Road to Governor Warfield Parkway
• Whiskey Bottom Road from the Anne Arundel County line to Stephens Road
• White Acre Road from Thunder Hill Road to Stevens Forest Road
• Woodbine Road from Old Frederick Road to the Carroll County line
• Woodstock Road from MD 99 to the Baltimore County line

Snow removal

During a typical snowstorm of six to 12 inches, the county's goal is to have the entire county road system cleared within 12 to 18 hours after the storm ends.

At the beginning of a storm in Howard County, de-icing materials are spread first to prevent the bonding of snow or ice to the road surface. Then, depending on the intensity of the storm, plowing operations follow. The county's 3,783-road system is divided into a series of routes with a truck and operator assigned to each, with roads within each route prioritized as primary (category A), secondary (category B) and residential (category C).

Primary and secondary roads receive the first service to ensure that public safety vehicles can provide service to residents. Drivers then concentrate their efforts on local residential roads. All county roads are serviced before the bureau parks their vehicles, officials noted.

The Bureau of Highways operates under a three-tiered level of response:

Level I: Only primary (Category A) roads are serviced in order to maintain critical services such as fire, ambulance, or police. At this level, inconvenience to the traveling public is likely.

Level II: Only primary (Category A) and secondary (Category B) roads are serviced. This could cause minor inconvenience. However, for the most part, the public is not adversely affected.

Level III: All county roads (Categories A, B, & C) are serviced with little or no inconvenience to the traveling public.

Residents can track the progress of snow removal equipment via the county's Snow Plow Tracker. The tracker allows residents to monitor progress across four different time frames while snow removal is underway. Residents are able to see if their street has been treated in the last four hours, between four and eight hours ago, between eight and 24 hours ago, or more than 24 hours ago.

The tracker also aggregates highway traffic camera views, weather alerts and real-time traffic information into the display, providing residents with a one-stop shop for storm recovery information.

"Howard County's Department of Public Works' Bureau of Highways is actively preparing for this winter weather event, establishing staffing plans, contacting county contractors to discuss support operations and checking all equipment to ensure it is fully operational. While we have road salt brine prepared and in storage, given the forecasted frigid temperatures, magnesium chloride is being loaded into our trucks (Thursday) as brine effectiveness decreases with colder temperatures. Highway crews will begin pretreating Howard County government maintained primary and secondary roadways (Friday). Local roadways will be pretreated as well to aid in snow and ice removal due to the anticipated magnitude of the event," Ball told Patch.

Property owners with a sidewalk in a public right-of-way must remove snow from the sidewalk within 48 hours after snow stops falling. However, if the county executive declares a state of emergency, he can extend the time allowed to remove snow.

County provided curbside trash, recycling and food scraps/yard trim collections on Monday have been cancelled. The slide schedule will be in effect for the rest of next week. While bulk item collection will slide with trash collection, scrap metal collection will be rescheduled.

Cancellations
County provided curbside trash, recycling and food scraps/yard trim collections on Monday have been cancelled. The slide schedule will be in effect for the rest of next week. While bulk item collection will slide with trash collection, scrap metal collection will be rescheduled.

The county’s Department of Corrections has cancelled all programs, including religious services, starting Saturday through Monday. There also won't be any visits with the incarcerated population on Monday.

Staying warm

Frigid wind chills accompanying this weekend's storm could result in hypothermia if precautions are not taken. The Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services reminded residents that space heaters should always be plugged directly into a wall outlet and never into an extension cord or surge protector, and sit at least three feet away from anything that can burn.

Also, generators, camp stoves and grills/barbeques are never safe to use indoors - this includes garages (even with the door open), basements or any other enclosed area. Carbon monoxide from these items is completely colorless and odorless and can be deadly. Generators should be placed in a well ventilated location outdoors and at least 20 feet from a home or business, so exhaust fumes cannot enter indoors through windows, doors or other openings, officials said.

Fire officials also stated that if a farmer has a barn that they keep heated, make sure flammable materials are stored in appropriate containers and in a secure area away from heat sources.

The Howard County Police Department and Howard County Animal Control and Adoption Center asks residents to keep their pets indoors as much as possible. Animals that are kept outdoors must have access to appropriate shelter, bedding and an unfrozen water source at all times as required by Howard County law, which is the bare minimum.

If anyone is in need of shelter from the cold, they're advised to contact Grassroots Crisis Intervention's hotline at (410) 531-6677 for assistance or go to its Crisis Center at 8990 Old Annapolis Road, Suite A in Columbia.

The Grassroots Emergency Shelter at 6700 Freetown Road in Columbia will be staffed and operating as usual (24/7), which is where Code Blue overnight sheltering is happening. Single individuals will be staying at Grassroots Emergency Shelter at 6700 Freetown Road in Columbia while families with children will be taken to the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center at 8990 Old Annapolis Road, Suite A in Columbia.

Community members who are looking for a place to get out of the cold and warm up during regular business hours also can stop by one of the county's Department of Recreation & Parks Gary J. Arthur, North Laurel and Roger Carter community centers or Department of Community Resources and Services' 50+ centers or a Howard County Library System branch.

BGE continues to closely monitor the weather and prepare for this weekend’s snowstorm, preemptively mobilizing its crews and proactively increasing staffing to ensure crews are available to respond to any power outages as quickly and safely as possible, the company stated. At this time, BGE is encouraging its customers to follow these steps to stay safe and comfortable if the storm affects power in their area:

• If you use medical equipment in your home, make sure it is fully charged with backup charging devices available. If you rely on electricity for medical equipment, talk to your doctor or health care provider about what you may be able to do to keep it running during a power outage. You can also ask your power provider to put you on a list for priority power restoration; for BGE customers, see www.bge.com/my-account/customer-support/assistance-programs/special-needs-programs and for Potomac Edison customers, see www.firstenergycorp.com/help/billingpayments/assistance_serviceprogram/potomac_edison_maryland.html.
• Customers who may be elderly or have disabilities should confirm backup plans in case of an extended outage.
• Make sure your home Basic Disaster Supplies Kit includes a battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert, a flashlight and extra batteries.
• Fully charge cell phones, computers, electric vehicles and other devices before the storm arrives.
• If you have a landline, keep a corded phone available in case mobile devices lose power.
• Place a working flashlight with fresh batteries on each floor of your home.

If a power outage happens, customers can report the outage:

• To BGE:
• By calling (877) 778-2222;
• Texting “OUT” to 69243;
• Via BGE’s free mobile app available today at the Apple Store or GooglePlay; or
• Online at https://secure.bge.com/powerOutages/accountVerification.

"If a power outage were to occur, BGE's restoration priorities are public safety and other essential services, such as 911 centers, hospitals and pumping stations. Then restoration is generally scheduled so that the greatest number of customers can be restored as quickly and safely as possible. However, in cases of extended power outages, consideration is also given to customers who have been without service for the longest," the company stated Friday.

Related:

• How To Prepare, Safety Tips For MD Weekend Winter Storm
• Howard Co. Hardware Stores Help Residents Prepare For Winter Storm

• 15 Winter Events To Beat Cabin Fever In Maryland