Drivers Find Mayhem On Maryland Roads After Snowstorm

LINTHICUM HEIGHTS, Md. (WJZ) -- "It was bad, it was a bad day," said Gary, a professional driver who got stuck driving to Salisbury, Maryland Monday.

He's one of many who found mayhem on Maryland roads in the wake of the Baltimore region's first major snowstorm of 2022.

Anne Arundel County bore the brunt of this storm along with other parts of Southern Maryland where they received more than a foot of snow.

As of Monday night, over 13,000 people were still without power, according to BGE.

Monday afternoon, Governor Larry Hogan announced he fully activated the statewide operations center and was monitoring the very hazardous conditions, urging Marylanders to stay off the road.

"I almost hit the car in front of me," said John, who works at BWI.

The storm caused major issues for motorists, including on Route 50 in Annapolis where traffic was at a standstill.

"It was a parking lot," described Gary.

By Monday night, Maryland State Police reporter 199 accidents and 810 calls for service.

Gary said he saw lots of accidents Monday, "people running off the road, people into the bushes and trees, I saw trees down on a car"

"We weren't able to pretreat the roads because there was rain earlier," said Ron Snyder from Maryland State Police who confirmed by Monday afternoon the road conditions deteriorated.

But other counties only received a dusting and in Harford County, a few inches of snow. "We've seen worse," said Gary Phillmore of Joppa Town.

In Baltimore County, County Executive Johnny Olszewski asked people to "use caution" and give crews the time they need as they work the rest of the night.

School closures were announced across the state with some extending through Tuesday including in Anne Arundel County.

But Charlie Gischlar from the Maryland Dpt. of Transportation's State Highway Administration warned "we're also going to be dealing with the refreeze potential overnight" and asked drivers to slow down their speed.

The Dpt. of Transportation also urged residents to plan ahead for Tuesday morning's commute.