With a significant dose of ice in today?s forecast, officials say they are not taking chances after a recent storm caused havoc on Anne Arundel and state roads.
“As soon as precipitation hits the ground, we?re going to be ready for it,” said Charlie Gischlar, State Highway Administration spokesman.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning Thursday night, predicting 1 to 2 inches of snow and a quarter-inch of ice today.
The City of Annapolis closed its offices today, but public works crews are expected to be salting sidewalks and clearing snow and ice.
Thousands of people were stuck in Annapolis during last week?s ice storm, either trapped in gridlock or holed up in bars and restaurants for hours.
Anne Arundel is expected to activate its emergency operation center at 4 a.m. today and to have public works crews in place before rush hour.
The weather service said the storm could cause widespread power outages. Baltimore Gas and Electric expects the bulk of outages to occur late this morning.
“Multiple storms in a short period of time can weaken tree limbs,” BGE spokeswoman Linda Foy said. “But the big issue for us is that hazardous road conditions will make it longer for us to respond.”
