BALTIMORE (WJZ) — With a winter storm only hours away, city and state agencies are getting ready.

Monique Griego has more on their preparations.

Because this storm is expected to create dangerous conditions, trucks were out all day getting salt on the roads. This Christmas, Mother Nature gifted Maryland with its first taste of snowy winter weather.

“We were surprised by all the snow. My kids were thrilled to have a white Christmas,” said one resident.

But when that snow turned into sleet and rain, Baltimore’s roads turned slick. Now with another storm on its way, the city and its trucks are getting ready.

“We’ll be there all night, throughout the morning and we’re prepared for tomorrow,” said Adrienne Barnes, a spokesperson for the City Department of Transportation.

The city will start salting roads around 2 a.m. Saturday. After that, crews will deploy to the hardest hit areas.

“We’ll continue to monitor and patrol and do what we think is necessary,” said Barnes.

The State Highway Administration also isn’t taking any chances. Trucks spent all of Friday loading up salt and pre-treating roadways, bridges and ramps throughout the Baltimore area.

“This will prevent the first adhesion of ice to the roads, and it will keep roads safe at the first signs of precipitation,” said Maryland State Highway Administration spokesperson Lora Rakowski.

While they’re advising people to stay off the roads, Rakowski said to drive on roads that are “open and passable.”

It’s a warning that drivers are heeding.

And if you do have to travel Saturday, we’re told it’s best to plans trips later in the day, so the trucks have enough time to clear the road.