Press Releases - Department of Transportation

Three to Five Inches of Snow Expected Overnight into Saturday Early Morning Throughout Montgomery County: Residents Encouraged to Stay Current on Changing Weather Conditions

For Immediate Release: Friday, February 16, 2024

With three to five inches of snow expected to fall overnight tonight, Friday, Feb. 16, into early morning hours on Saturday, Montgomery County officials are encouraging residents to prepare for slippery roads and bridges. Some localized areas of Montgomery County may see higher amounts of accumulation. The County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) Storm Operations Center (SOC) will activate at 10 p.m. this evening to monitor weather and treatment operations.  

MCDOT began pretreating County emergency and primary roads on Thursday with salt brine, a 27 percent salt to water mix, in anticipation for the snowfall and below freezing overnight temperatures. 

Storm crews will be monitoring pavement conditions overnight and responding as necessary. A Winter Storm Advisory is in effect from 11 p.m. this evening, Friday, Feb.16, through 7 a.m. on Saturday. It is expected that snowfall will begin in the area around 11 p.m., leaving accumulations of three to five inches of snow. Residents are asked to avoid driving if possible. If travel is required, residents are asked to consider taking the MCDOT’s Ride On bus service. Bus routes are considered primary routes and those roadways are treated as a priority. 

Icing could produce downed trees, electrical wires and power outages. Sign up for Alert Montgomery, the County's emergency warning system that sends alerts to cell phones, emails or via text messages. 

The power utilities serving Montgomery County are Pepco, BG&E and First Energy. Each has a downloadable mobile app for reporting power outages. They also can be contacted by phone at: 

• BGE: 877-778-2222
• Potomac Edison/First Energy: 888-544-4877
• PEPCO: 877-737-2662 

In case of water main breaks or other issues, contact the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission at 301-206-4002 or email [email protected]. 

Report downed trees in the public right-of-way or downed wires by contacting the Montgomery County Police Department’s non-emergency number at 301-279-8000. If downed wires are sparking, call 911. 

More information about preparing for the storm, storm operations and submitting service requests is available on the County’s snow portal online at montgomerycountymd.gov/snow. 

Follow @MCDOTNow on X and Facebook for frequent Montgomery County storm operations updates. 

For more information on MCDOT programs and services visit montgomerycountymd.gov/mcdot, follow @MCDOTNow on X, Facebook and Instagram and subscrib to MCDOT’s “Go Montgomery!” newsletter.

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Release ID: 24-022
Media Contact: Emily DeTitta, 240-372-2282