Snow Plows Ready, Schools Watching Weather: Montgomery County

Highway crews for Montgomery County have pretreated more than a thousand miles of main roads to get ready for tonight's snowfall, officials say. The county's Storm Operations Center activated at 4 p.m. Thursday as snow moved into the region.

The National Weather Service is calling for 1 to 2 inches of snow and has issued a winter weather advisory from 6 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday for several counties, including Montgomery. A winter weather advisory means that snow may make travel difficult. Snow is expected to start in the early evening and continue overnight.

Montgomery County Public Schools has made no announcement on whether classes or activities could be delayed on Friday. Derek Turner, spokesman for the school system, tells Montgomery Community Media the district “will announce any closings, cancellations and delays on our website, Twitter, via press release, through Alert MCPS and a handful of other mediums as soon as we have a decision.”

The district has not changed the process for announcing snow delays or cancellations from last year, he said.

Meanwhile, the county’s Division of Highway Services pretreated more than 1,000 lane miles of primary roads ahead of the expected snowfall. The salt brine mixture of salt and water sprayed on roads hinder the snow’s ability to bond to pavement, making it easier to remove.

Snow plows have already been stationed along all primary routes so they will be ready to treat roads when needed. And the department opened its Storm Operations Center at 4 p.m. Thursday to manage response the expected storm; the center will stay open throughout the night.

Although only about an inch of snow is expected, it could begin during the evening rush hour, which in the past has caused major traffic tie-ups. Residents are urged to keep an eye on the most current weather reports and adjust their travel plans accordingly.

Montgomery County removes snow from more than 5,000 lane miles of roads. However, the State Highway Administration handles snow removal from all numbered roads– which includes most of the main commuting routes in the county.

»Patch file photo