(Updated) Rockville Declares Snow Emergency: 2017 Snowstorm Live Feed

(Updated at 9:52 p.m.) ROCKVILLE, MD — The Nor'easter Stella is covering Rockville and Montgomery County, which has prompted Rockville officials to cancel all city activities and programs on Tuesday, March 14. A snow emergency is in effect to get cars off the roads. 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. (Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts, or like us on Facebook.)

Rockville city officials have declared a snow emergency that requires all vehicles to be removed from roads within the city, including neighborhood streets. Recycling and refuse will not be collected on Tuesday, March 14. For updates on city program cancellations or delays, visit the city's website.

County Executive Ike Leggett has declared county government offices and facilities closed on Tuesday, March 14. Essential personnel must report as scheduled. Government facilities, other than public safety facilities, will be closed.

Free parking in county garages and parking lots is available Tuesday until midnight. The County's Ride On bus service will operate on the "S" Service Plan all day Tuesday, March 14. There will be limited service on all weekday routes making best efforts to provide service every 60 to 90 minutes as conditions allow. Riders are cautioned to expect possible delays and detours and to allow for extra travel time. Detailed information about the S Service Plan is available in English and Spanish.

»SEE ALSO: Rockville Orders All Vehicles Off Roads, No Trash Pick-Up Tuesday

Rockville Parking, Plowing

In order for city crews to safely and efficiently clear snow from streets, all vehicles should be parked in garages and driveways whenever possible, the city says. If it is not possible to move vehicles off the road, they should be parked on the even-numbered side of the street. In courts or cul-de-sacs, parking is allowed only on the left side of the streets as one enters the cul-de-sac or court. Do not park in the bulb of the court or cul-de-sac.

To check whether an address is within the city limits, use the interactive "Rockville Address and Residency Check" map at www.rockvillemd.gov/gis/residency. To help get as many vehicles off the street as possible, four city-owned parking lots will be open for residents to park their vehicles at the following locations:

• Rockville Civic Center main mansion lot, 603 Edmonston Drive.
• Woodley Gardens Park, 900 Nelson St.
• Welsh Park (Mannakee Street side only), at the corner of Martins Lane and Mannakee Street.
• Elwood Smith Community Center, 601 Harrington Road.

Vehicles illegally parked may be towed and/or ticketed.

Shoveling walks, around fire hydrants
The Department of Public Works says heavy snowfall may require crews to make multiple passes to ensure roads are passable.

There will be no county recycling or trash pick-up on Tuesday. Residents should not take their trash cans and recycling bins to the curb. Residents who receive county provided recycling or refuse collection service will have their pick-ups delayed by one day the remainder of the week due to today's snow.

• The Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station, Shady Grove Road will be closed.
• The County Executive’s FY18 Operational Budget Proposal news conference will be rescheduled.
• The County Council session scheduled for Tuesday, March 14 is postponed.

The county urges residents to clear snow from sidewalks in front of their homes within 24 hours of the cessation of snowfall. Residents and property owners are asked to help clear snow around fire hydrants and storm drains. Parking lot managers for commercial and residential parking lots are urged not to block disability parking spaces during their snow removal efforts.

Montgomery County is working around the clock on snow operations. Residents are urged to stay home so crews can continue to clear roads and public safety and emergency personnel can reach those in critical need. Snow removal and plowing operations are continuing and have begun operations in neighborhoods. The initial objective is to make the more-than 4,000 lane miles of neighborhood roads passable. Residents should not expect to see bare pavement on the first pass.

MC311, the County’s informational call center, will remain open for extended hours. Contact MC311 by phone at 3-1-1 or 240-777-0311, or visit hours.www.MC311.com.

Rockville snow emergency

The Rockville snow emergency required all vehicles to be off all city streets by 5 p.m. on Monday, March 13. Recycling and refuse will not be collected on Tuesday, March 14. For updates on city program cancellations or delays, visit the city's website at www.rockvillemd.gov/weather_closings.

UPDATE 9:52 p.m.:

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has declared a snow emergency route that began at 7 p.m. tonight that restricts parking along any snow emergency route.

Residents can park in County-owned parking garages free of charge Monday night and through midnight Tuesday, city officials said.

Ride On will operate the S Service Plan on Tuesday, March 14, meaning it will operate all its weekday routes — except the Route 94 — with some service, but the frequency of serve may be affected. Aditionally, there may be detours along routes that are icy or hazardous.

For more information on all MCDOT updates including information on snow plowing, bus schedules and more, click here.

UPDATE 6:30 p.m.:

The Montgomery County Board of Education meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 14, has been postponed due to potential emergency weather conditions.

The meeting will now be held on Friday, March 17. The Board will meet in closed session beginning at 9 a.m., and public agenda items are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. The public portion of the meeting will be broadcast live on the MCPS website and on MCPS TV (Comcast Channel 34).

The revised agenda, with related materials attached, can be found on the Board of Education’s BoardDocs site.

Gaithersburg Snow Emergency:

The Gaithersburg City Manager has declared that a snow emergency will be in effect as of 7 p.m. Monday, March 13. All cars must be removed from snow emergency routes in the city, which are marked with signs. Failure to comply could result in ticketing and towing. A list of Snow Emergency routes can be found in the Map Gallery on the City’s website atwww.gaithersburgmd.gov.

How much are we going to get?

Weather.com says Rockville, Bethesda and nearby communities will get 4 to 8 inches of snow.

When is it going to hit?

The heaviest snow will take place between 9 p.m. Monday night and 9 a.m. Tuesday morning.

The Capital Weather Gang has just posted a major update to their forecast, and unfortunately, there's still not a whole lot of clarity on what we're going to get here in Bethesda. The D.C. area is teetering right on the edge of a lot of snow and almost no snow at all, according to the Capital Weather Gang: "Overnight, conditions will vary considerably over short distances. You may only have to travel 10 miles to go from 5-10 inches of snow to very little."

However, CWG thinks that on the whole, our likely snowfall totals are decreasing: "Inside the Beltway, 2-4 inches of snow and sleet is most likely, with amounts quickly increasing to the north and west, and decreasing to the south and east."

Flight Delays: Flights from East Coast cities are being delayed as the storm moves in, and flights to and from Chicago are also experiencing delays. You can check for delays at Reagan National, Dulles and Baltimore-Washington airports online.

Storm Prep Tips From Rockville:

The Department of Public Works says heavy snowfall may require crews to make multiple passes to ensure roads are passable. Rockville requires that snow be removed from sidewalks, steps, driveways, parking spaces and similar paved areas for public use within 48 hours after a snowfall of three to 10 inches, and within 72 hours after a snowfall of more than 10 inches.

Residents are asked to remove snow from around fire hydrants so that fire crews will have easier access to the hydrants in an emergency. Ice and snow should also be cleared from around storm drains. Avoid shoveling snow into the street when possible.

Residents also are encouraged to check on older neighbors who may need assistance clearing snow. Rockville seniors in need of snow removal assistance may request help by calling 240-314-8819 or 240-314-8810. For answers to frequently asked questions about snow removal, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/winterweather and select "FAQs."

Emergency Numbers:

• To report a power outage, call Pepco at 1-877-737-2662 or visit www.pepco.com.
• To report a tree blocking a roadway or driveway, call 240-314-8700. For a tree touching a power line, call Pepco at 1-877-737-2662.
• For emergencies, call 911. To report non-emergency concerns to the Rockville City Police Department, call 240-314-8900.
• Rockville will post city facility closure information on the city's website, www.rockvillemd.gov, as well as at www.rockvillemd.gov/weather.

Montgomery County Offers Winter Weather Tips:

• If there is a power outage, be prepared by having enough food, water, medication if needed and batteries to last at least two days. Make sure portable radios, smoke detectors and flashlights are working properly. Make shelter, food, water and medication preparations for pets and livestock.
• Plan where you will park if a State or County Snow Emergency is declared, making parking illegal on those roads. Drivers may park in County public-parking garages and lots for free during a snow emergency.
• Be sure your vehicle(s) are ready to drive after the storm by filling the gas tank; checking tires to make sure they have an adequate tread and are fully inflated; checking oil, antifreeze and windshield washer fluid levels; and ensuring windshield wipers, lights, flashing hazard lights, exhaust system, heater, brakes and defroster are all working.

Important Maryland Numbers include:

PECO: 1-877-737-2662
Baltimore Gas and Electric (BG&E): 1-877-778-2222 or 1-800-685-0123
First Energy/Potomac Edison: 1-888-544-4977
SMECO: 1-877-747-6326 or 1-888-440-3311
Washington Gas: 1-800-752-7520
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission: 1-800-828-4002

If a power outage occurs:

• Treat all “dark” intersections as four-way stops. Stop, then proceed cautiously.
• During a power outage, relying on battery-operated lights, rather than candles, is much safer. Using candles increases the risk of a fire.
• Refrigerated food will remain unspoiled only about four hours if the refrigerator is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. Use ice to keep your refrigerator at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0° or lower if there is a prolonged power outage.
• It can be fatal to use gas or charcoal grills, propane heaters and stoves, kerosene space heaters or generators indoors. These items are a source of carbon monoxide, which can build up indoors and cause carbon monoxide poisoning. Please see the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue site for more information.

As of 11:45 a.m.: Could it be a bust? Mike Thomas of Fox 5 jokes about it in a tweet below, but the reality is that there is a very wide range of snowfall predictions for the D.C. area.

The only #snow forecast guaranteed not to bust in #DC! All joking aside, very tough forecast. New data coming in, snowfall map update soon. pic.twitter.com/FHZRItAlEi
— Mike Thomas (@MikeTFox5) March 13, 2017

Elsewhere...

The east coast is bracing for a major winter storm set to hit Monday night through Tuesday night. https://t.co/VyWINDk3xP for the latest. pic.twitter.com/7PXi0uDWlD
— NWS (@NWS) March 12, 2017

Additional Reporting by Patch Editor Dan Taylor

Image via Pixabay