COLUMBIA, Md. (WJZ) — Snow returned to Maryland Sunday, and the multi-day event continued to dump fresh flakes across the region on Monday.
From Carroll County to Harford County, many Marylanders WJZ spoke with Monday said they were enjoying seeing significant snow for the first time in a while.
READ MORE: Maryland Weather: Soggy But Mild Weekend In Store“We really missed the snow actually. It’s nice to see. It’s beautiful,” Lisa Gyory told WJZ in Anne Arundel County.
In Harford County, the fresh snow provided a reprieve from talk about COVID-19 as kids flocked to hills to go sledding.
“(I’m) ready to just go sledding, build some ramps and have some fun,” Caylen Ruleau said.
Entire families bundled up and braved the cold to race down the hill with snow and wind in their faces.
“Sledding, it’s a right of passage,” one parent said. “I did it when I was growing up in this area and now we’re teaching our kids to do the same.”
For many essential workers, their duties continued despite the storm. In Anne Arundel County, public works crews were on the job since dawn.
“We’ve been out since 5:45 this morning,” Marvin Lee told photojournalist Allen Cork, Sr., in Anne Arundel County. Roads at that time were passable, Lee said.
An influx of snow-related calls forced emergency dispatchers in the county to redirect callers to specific district numbers.
READ MORE: COVID-19 In Maryland: 18 New Deaths Reported Saturday As Hospitalizations & Positivity Rate Continue To DeclineThe Emergency Dispatch Center is experiencing high call volume. Snow related calls may be directed to the appropriate road district.
Northern Road Operations: 410-222-6120
Central Road Operations: 410-222-7940
Southern Road Operations: 410-222-1933Thank you for your patience. pic.twitter.com/YqmCzgKmff
— AACoDPW (@AACoDPW) February 1, 2021
Traditionally, a snowfall of this size would mean no school for thousands of students, but while some kids had the day off, others had double duty — shoveling and clearing snow and then learning remotely from home.
Among those out clearing snow in Harford County was Maurice Butler. He and another student helped neighbors shovel.
“(It was) just to help the community. Some people may not be able to clean up, so we just wanted to come out here and help,” Butler said.
In Howard County, a UPS worker named Taylor was off the clock, so he decided to clean six of his neighbors’ cars.
We found Taylor in Howard Co. cleaning off his neighbors’ cars.
He did six by the time we showed up. He’s also gonna do a store run for drinks for the adults.
He told us he’s a UPS driver, had the day off, so had to find something to do. @wjz pic.twitter.com/GhEONThVQA
— Avajoye Burnett (@AvajoyeWJZ) February 1, 2021
“I don’t mind helping out the community. So if I see someone has done something for me, I’ll go and return the favor and do it for them,” Taylor said.
Monday afternoon, Howard County officials tweeted that all main roads were clear and that crews were starting to tackle neighborhoods.
In Carroll County, some residents started the clean-up from Sunday, and the efforts continued into Monday.
“It’s heavy, very heavy. I was out yesterday three different times before it got really bad,” Shirl Consitine said.
MORE NEWS: Baltimore Mayor, Gov. Hogan Clash Over Available COVID Vaccine Doses For City ResidentsStay up-to-date with the latest forecast by downloading the WJZ weather app.
