Harford County Prepares for Below Freezing Temperatures

Joining the regular commuters during rush hour on Thursday in Harford County will be 100 workers trying to help citizens stay ahead of the storm.

Starting at 4 p.m., the Harford County Department of Emergency Services said that it will dispatch approximately 100 public works employees and contractors to pretreat roads in advance of the first snow of the new year.

The National Weather Service placed Harford County under a winter weather advisory until 6 a.m. Friday, with three to five inches of snow possible and temperatures from zero to negative five degrees.

“Harford County government is taking every precaution to ensure our roads and bridges are maintained free of snow and ice as much as possible," Emergency Manager Rick Ayers said in a prepared statement.

"Nonetheless, we encourage motorists to use caution and allow additional space between vehicles to lessen the potential for accidents," Ayers said.

In addition, the State Highway Administration (SHA) has more than 2,200 trucks available statewide to plow and salt the state roads, and will have people on patrol to help stranded motorists and manage roadway incidents, according to the SHA.

The SHA said it would put heavy-duty tow trucks around the state to remove disabled commercial vehicles off roadways. 

“With high winds and blowing snow expected, remember to stay alert for inactive traffic signals as a result of power outages. Use extreme caution and treat a signalized intersection without power as a four-way stop—it’s the law,” SHA Administrator Melinda B. Peters said.

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