05/02/2025
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025
Winter Weather Advisory
Montgomery County Officials Urge Caution in Advance of Expected Freezing Rain Overnight
With freezing rain expected overnight, Montgomery County officials are urging residents to prepare for slippery roads and bridges. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 9 p.m. tonight until noon Thursday, Feb. 6. The forecast calls for sleet and freezing rain, with ice accumulations up to two-tenths of an inch.
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) Storm Operations Center will activate at 10 p.m. tonight, and MCDOT crews will monitor roadway conditions throughout the event and treat roads as necessary. However, due to the rain that will accompany this storm early on, roads will not be pretreated beforehand.
Residents are likely to see snowplows driving through neighborhoods with plows raised due to ice from freezing temperatures. The plows can only push off snow and sleet once it accumulates to about three inches. Plows are not able to sufficiently push off solid ice, especially in the late-night hours when temperatures are at their lowest points. When MCDOT snowplow crews encounter this situation, they raise the plow and apply salt, let it activate, and then go back through and push it off the roadway. This may take several attempts.