Posts Tagged ‘blizzard’

It’s Official: Record Snowfall for Baltimore Area

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

The National Weather Service made it official at about 7 a.m. this morning, when it recorded 5.2 inches of new snow at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

That accumulation was enough to give Baltimore a record snowfall for the season –besting the 62.5 inches recorded at the airport during 1995-’96.

And snow was still falling.

What remains to be seen is by how many inches the season record will be smashed. At BWI, the two-day accumulation stood at 11.9 inches at 1 p.m. today. That means the new season record of 72.3 inches had already smashed the old one by nearly 10 inches.

Record keeping for snowfall in Baltimore dates back as far as 1893.

New records were also set at Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

An update extended the current winter storm warning to 10 p.m. this evening.

The weather service has added a blizzard warning to the mix, thanks to wind gusts of up to 40 mph in some areas. The service issued a warning earlier today urging drivers to stay at home due to the blizzard-like winds and whiteout conditions.

It said Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Harford counties and the city of Baltimore were experiencing the harshest conditions. And in Baltimore, city officials warned that only emergency vehicles were allowed on the roads.

–From Maryland Newsline’s Ben Giles

Roads in Prince George’s County were narrow or impassable on Wednesday, when the second blizzard in a week hit the region. (Photo by Maryland Newsline’s Ben Giles)

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Power Outages Expected, More Snow on Way

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Thousands of Marylanders are still without power following last weekend’s blizzard, and officials say more outages could occur during the snowstorm expected to move into the region today.

Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. reported more than 98,000 power outages among its customers since Friday’s snowfall–most in Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties. As of Tuesday afternoon, 97,982 had been restored, leaving a little over 500 without power.

BGE has more than 1.26 million customers in Maryland.

Pepco fielded calls on about 108,000 power outages at the height of the storm, said Bob Hainey, Pepco manager of media relations. More than 80,000 of them were in the Montgomery County area.

“Montgomery County has a lot of trees,” Hainey said, “and once snow hits the trees, the power lines are next.”

Pepco restored more than 70,000 homes in Montgomery County. But as of Tuesday afternoon, there were 9,190 Montgomery County Pepco customers still without power, 255 in Prince George’s County and 193 in Washington, D.C., Hainey said.

Spokesmen for both companies said their crews are working around the clock to restore power.

BGE has “linemen from Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio assisting us,” said BGE spokeswoman Linda Foy.

More power outages are expected today and tomorrow, officials said, when another 10 to 20 inches of snow are expected to fall in the region, topping the two or more feet that fell last weekend.

Hainey said those with existing power outages will be first priority and will not fall to the bottom of the queue.

If power goes out in your home, Foy urged using flashlights rather than candles, which are a safety hazard.

BGE also asks customers to clear vent pipes and outside meters, to prevent them from malfunctioning.

Hainey urged customers to be mindful of carbon monoxide, which can come from using charcoal grills too close to the house or operating portable generators improperly. Carbon monoxide can go undetected in a home because it’s without a smell.

“We tell people don’t do anything to project carbon monoxide, because it can kill you,” Hainey said.

–By Maryland Newsline’s Zettler Clay

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Region in Store for Record Snowfall

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

If current weather predictions are right, the Baltimore-Washington region will easily surpass its previous all-time high for snow accumulation in one season.

The current accumulation for this 2009-2010 season stands at 60.4 inches at Baltimore-Washington International Airport — good for second in the history books, according to the National Weather Service:

  • 62.5 inches (1995-96)
  • 60.4 inches (2009-10)
  • 58.2 inches (2002-03)
  • 51.8 inches (1963-62)

Another 10 to 20 inches of snowfall in the region are expected between this afternoon and 7 p.m. Wednesday, according to the latest winter storm warning issued by the weather service. Snow is expected to be accompanied by strong winds.

–From Maryland Newsline’s Ben Giles

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