Winter Weather Advisory put in place by the National Weather Service
Frederick, Md (KM) Tuesday’s commute could be very tricky. The National Weather Service has put a Winter Weather Advisory in affect for the region from 4:00 AM until 9:00 PM. The agency is calling for one to three inches of snow, and a few hundredths of an inch of ice.
The Maryland State Highway Administration was out on Monday, pre-treating roads with a salt brine solution which turns the ice into slush, making the roads less slippery.
SHA spokeswoman Shantee Felix urges drivers to postpone any road trips on Tuesday. “And we always encourage them to reduce their travel speeds in weather conditions like this because speed limits are made for ideal weather conditions,” she says., “So in weather like this, if you want to drive five to ten miles slower than you ordinarily would, that would be great.”
If they’re already at work on Tuesday, Felix says they should try to leave a little earlier in the day. “Please allow extra time to get to your destination if that’s ideal,” she says.
SHA has a new way to help citizens keep informed about where roads have been treated in or near their communities. “This season, we have our storm app. That allows people to go to our website, road.Maryland.gov, click on ‘storm’ and you can look at a map to see where our equipment has already treated the roads. So you can keep up to date that way,” says Felix.
The National Weather Service says the winter precipitation will be followed by below-freezing temperatures.
By Kevin McManus