Some woke up this morning to find themselves snowed in, while others were a little perplexed to find no new snow on the ground. Areas further north were worst hit by overnight snow, while other areas, mostly South of Solomon’s Island, were affected primarily by ice.

This morning the Snow Operations Office opened at 2:30 a.m. Approximately half an hour later four salt trucks were dispatched into the North, Central, South, and West road service areas to begin treating the 462 miles of Priority 1 Emergency Salt Routes and to evaluate the current roadway conditions.

At approximately 4 a.m. the temperature dropped to about 27 degrees and a burst of snow and sleet mixture began to accumulate. Five additional salt trucks and one salt contractor were mobilized at 5:30 a.m. to assist in treating the emergency salt routes. Trucks may yet be diverted to the Northern Service area where greater accumulations were realized.

Less than one inch of accumulation is expected during this minor storm event. The top priority emergency salt routes should be completely treated by 10 a.m. St. Mary’s County Department of Public Works says that with rising temperatures expected, and with a change in precipitation to mostly rain, secondary routes should not require treatment. However, crews will remain mobilized to address cold spots throughout the entire County maintained portion of the roadway system.

In St. Mary’s, Building Services / Recreation & Parks personnel were mobilized at 5 a.m. this morning to treat sidewalks, entryways, and parking lots at County Government facilities as needed. Convenience Centers will be open on-time today and STS Bus Operations will be operating on a two-hour delay. St. Mary’s County asks those who have to travel early this to please do so with caution.

Today St. Mary’s County Public Schools have cancelled all classes and closed their offices. Charles County Public Schools are similarly closed, with a code red for employees, and Anne Arundel County Public Schools are also “code red,” closing all their schools and central offices. The College of Southern Maryland (all campuses) and St. Mary’s College of Maryland have cancelled all classes and closed their offices for Friday, St. Mary’s College essential employees, however, must report at their designated starting time.

St. Mary’s County Government is open normal business hours today with a liberal leave policy in effect for employees. All programs held in the public schools are cancelled for the day; this includes School Age Center, Sports Programs and Leisure Programs. As one might imagine, all outdoor activities have also been cancelled today. The Gymnastics Center and the Great Mills Swimming Pool will operate as scheduled for late morning and afternoon activities. An announcement regarding evening programs offered at the recreation facilities will be made no later than 2:00 p.m. today, please check back for regular updates.  

In Hollywood some are snowed in with driveways of snowand ice, and others in La Plata and Charles have over three inchesof snow today. Comment on this story to share news of the weather in your area, or send news and/or pictures to editor@thebaynet.com.

Today: A slight chance of rain, snow, and freezing rain before 2pm. Partly cloudy, with a high around 40. Breezy, with a northwest wind b