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Roads Being Pre-Treated Ahead Of Wednesday's Winter Weather

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) -- It could be the biggest storm in two years to hit our region. Crews across the area are preparing for the worst.

Meghan McCorkell has a rundown of preparations around the state.

The bulk of the road crews are expected to arrive at midnight with backup arriving at 2 a.m.

The late season snow has emergency officials on edge.

"That rain/snow line is so narrow and one degree difference, it could be all snow," said Charlie Gischlar with the State Highway Administration.

About 2,700 state highway workers have been called in to respond to the storm.

In Carroll County, heavy equipment is ready to tackle whatever hits.

"Our routes are designed so we hit all parts of the county at the same time," said Bruce Lockard, Carroll County Department of Transportation.

A snow emergency has been issued for midnight in Frederick County. In Howard County, plows are at the ready. In Anne Arundel County, primary road crews are in at midnight with another wave in at noon Wednesday.

In Baltimore County, crews have more than 2,600 miles of roads to treat and they're asking residents to help them out.

"Try to keep their cars off the roads in their garages or parking pads to make it easier for the snow plowmen," said David Fidler, Baltimore County Department of Transportation.

The Baltimore City Emergency Operations Center opened at 10 p.m. and will stay open throughout the storm.

At BWI, dozens of flights are already canceled as the airport prepares to clear runways.

"We'll of course have our snow removal teams here throughout the storm, starting this evening," said Jonathan Dean, BWI spokesperson.

Out-of-state power crews are also here. They were called in to assist BGE, since hundreds of thousands of power outages are possible.

"We're looking at 35 to 40 mile per hour winds and that always is problematic," said BGE Warehouse Manager Jerry Schmidt.

The company is taking extra steps now to get the lights back on faster if they go out.

BGE has more than 1,700 crews now staging at BWI in preparation for the storm.

Customers can report power outages from mobile phones and devices through the company's new mobile website at bge.com or by calling 877-778-2222.

Customers can find information on preparing for natural disasters and other emergency events at bge.com.

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