This story was updated at 10:10 a.m. at Jan. 17, 2022, to include the latest information
A winter storm in the greater Washington region dumped up to 3.8 inches of snow on parts of Montgomery County on Sunday.
The snow started Sunday afternoon, and by 8 p.m., between 2.5 and 3.5 inches had fallen across the county, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Brandon Fling.
Fling said areas closer to D.C. received slightly less snow than areas upcounty.
As of Monday morning, the highest recorded snow total in the county was 3.8 inches in Clarksburg, according to the National Weather Service. Other snowfall totals included:
- 3.5 inches in Damascus
- 3 inches in Germantown and Potomac
- 2.5 inches in Bethesda, Rockville and Gaithersburg
- 1 inches in Silver Spring
The snow turned to a mix of rain and sleet Sunday night, before ending Monday morning.
Slippery roads from the snow and sleet created a hazardous commute for drivers on Monday.
Fire & Rescue spokesman Jason Blake posted on Twitter that a tractor-trailer jackknifed on Md. Route 28 near Hurley Avenue in Rockville. There were no injuries, but a hazardous materials team was called to pump off the saddle fuel tanks, according to Blake.
Temperatures are expected to reach a high of around 40 degrees on Monday, but will later drop below freezing, leading to the possibility of refreezing on roads overnight Monday into Tuesday.
The D.C. region remains until a winter weather advisory until 10 p.m., and wind gusts of up to 55 miles per hour are possible, according to the National Weather Service. The advisory warns that the winds could be strong enough to cause scattered power outages.
A message from the county on Sunday stated that roads were pretreated with salt brine on Friday. The Department of Transportation’s Highway Services storm operations crew planned to mobilize at noon, and prioritize major roadways near public health facilities.
Chief of Highway Services Richard Dorsey said in the message that there is still a shortage of snowplow operators and contractors due to a high number of COVID-19 cases and exposure rates.
“Our priority is to keep major roads clear to ensure access to public safety and health facilities,” he said in the message. “We will treat residential roads after these main roads are cleared. Residents may need to wait longer than typical for neighborhood streets to be treated and should visit the County’s Snow Portal for up-to-date snow-clearing information.”
Due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, Montgomery County Public Schools is closed. Additionally, county offices and court buildings are closed Monday due to the holiday.
Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@bethesdda-remix.newspackstaging.com