As Maryland’s first rounds of winter weather brought confusion and frustration for many families this week, both Howard County Public Schools (HCPSS) and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) issued messages explaining their decision-making processes. While both districts emphasized safety, forecasts, and lessons learned, the tone and content of their communications revealed notably different approaches.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for freezing drizzle between 7pm tonight-1am Saturday east of US-15 & along the I-95 corridor. A light glaze of ice is expected for Washington, D.C., along with large portions of central, northern, and southern Maryland, and central and northern Virginia.
The National Weather Service has released some snow totals from trained spotters across the DMV at various times this morning. Not every community has an available measurement, and the timing of each report can lead to differences in what you’re seeing at home. Your backyard may look a bit different from the official totals, depending on when and where the snow was measured. (more…)
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for much of the region, including the District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, Anne Arundel County, Montgomery County, Fairfax County, and Arlington/Falls Church/Alexandria. The advisory is in effect from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, with forecasters warning of treacherous travel conditions during the morning commute.
The National Weather Service has expanded its Winter Weather Advisory to include the District of Columbia, central Maryland (including all of Montgomery County), and portions of northern Virginia, warning that a mix of light snow and very cold temperatures will create treacherous travel conditions early Friday. The advisory is in effect from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the Friday morning commute expected to be significantly impacted.
Update: the Advisory has expanded again to include much of the DC region. More here.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has expanded its Winter Weather Advisory into portions of southern Maryland and northern Virginia, where forecasters expect accumulating snow and hazardous travel conditions beginning early Friday morning. The Special Weather Statement remains issued for areas closer to the DC Metro area, including DC and all immediately surrounding counties.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued both a Special Weather Statement and a Hazardous Weather Outlook for the Baltimore and Washington metro areas, warning of potentially hazardous travel conditions for the Friday morning commute.
A light snow event is expected to move into the region on Friday, with the potential to begin by mid-morning and continue through the evening. Temperatures will be cold enough for any snow that falls to accumulate, and while this is not expected to be a major storm, it could bring the first inch of snow of the season to parts of the area.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has most of Maryland and Northern Virginia in the “limited” risk category for the threat of snow on Friday, with models showing the potential of a fast storm heading our way ahead of the weekend.
Montgomery County Public Schools issued a community-wide apology on Tuesday after announcing a two hour delay at 4:55am (with the text to the community coming at approximately 5:01am), a decision that left many families scrambling to adjust morning plans. In a letter sent to all MCPS households, Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor acknowledged the widespread frustration surrounding the timing of the call and the handling of before-school childcare.
Out of an abundance of caution, all MCPS schools and offices will operate on a Code Yellow two-hour delay on Tuesday, Dec. 2, the school system shared at 4:55am Tuesday morning.