COLLEGE PARK – Local residents headed into the local supermarkets and hardware stores Tuesday to prepare to face the first major snowstorm the Washington-Baltimore area has seen in two years.
Most of the area will be under a winter storm warning from midnight tonight through early Thursday, and weather officials are expecting anywhere between three inches to a foot of snowfall in the region. To prepare for the worst, the Maryland State Highway Administration pre-treated the roads Tuesday, and snow plow drivers were standing by with about 360,000 tons of salt at the ready, according to a spokesman.
All available state Pepco and BGE power crews were also on call, with Pepco even bringing in extra crews from Alabama and Georgia, according to spokesmen for the power companies.
Meanwhile, residents were stocking up to make sure their homes were snowstorm-proof. At the Old Takoma ACE Hardware store in Takoma Park, employees had to take back out the snow shovels they had already put away, and customers slowly trickled in to pick up shovels, batteries and bags of salt.
However, with sunny skies and temperatures hovering in the early fifties earlier today, some locals were still in disbelief about tomorrow’s forecast.
“It’s a gorgeous day outside, it’s hard to believe we’re going to have a snowstorm,” said Takoma Park resident Jennifer Wofford, who dropped by the store to pick up supplies. “We’re going to get some pet-friendly ice-melt, we’re going to get some candles, we already bought water so we’re ready.”