Mel Madarang
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – Transportation crews in Maryland and Northern Virginia are working hard to keep roads clear as weather forecasts predict snow and sleet mixtures for the DMV area with rain to follow throughout the afternoon.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Kevin Witt says that a mixture of snow and sleet will continue in the District, which will then transition into rain around 3 p.m.in the southeastern part of D.C. and 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. in the north and western parts of the city.
Maryland State Highway Administration spokesperson Charlie Gischlar told WMAL that the most important numbers they’re looking at are ground temperatures since those temperatures impact how crews prevent ice build up on roads. Specifically in Montgomery County, Gischlar said crews have been doing rounds of salting the roads since ground temperatures there have been below zero, increasing the chances for icy roads.
Over in Northern Virginia, crews are up against anticipated continued snow in the area, especially in the western part of the region.
“The last forecast that we got was from the National Weather Service that was saying that, you know, snow essentially in the western portion was going to continue. So crews are gonna keep at it,” Virginia Department of Transportation spokesperson Ellen Kamilakis said.
Kamilakis also said that vehicles on the interstate have helped in a way that friction from tires have melted the snow, which indirectly cleared the roads. But as a safety precaution, Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller advised that if drivers can stay off the roadways, they should delay their travels to let VDOT crews work on treating the roads.
As of 1 p.m., National Weather Service recorded the total inches of snow accumulation in the following areas:
DCA 1.4 inches
IAD– 3.0 inches
BWI– 1.7 inches
Fairfax County 1.7 inches
Frederick County 5.0 Inches
Howard County 2.1 inches
Warren County 1.8 inches
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