Drivers Urged To Extreme Caution In Maryland Nor'Easter

ROCKVILLE, MD — With a nor'easter forecasted to develop late Thursday, the Maryland Transportation Authority is urging drivers to take precautions while on the road.

The National Weather Service has upgraded the area to a "high wind warning," which covers Maryland, the northern half of Virginia and D.C.

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration says drivers should take the following precautions:

• Don’t drive through standing water. It only takes six inches of moving water to sweep a person off his/her feet, and 12 inches of moving water to move the average sedan. Remember “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”
• If power is out at a traffic signal, State law requires all drivers at the intersection to treat it as a four-way stop.
• Don’t try to move fallen tree branches as high-voltage wires may be intertwined.
• Use low-beam headlights when windshield wipers are activated.
• Keep a close eye on local information sources for the latest weather conditions and plan accordingly.

Forecasters say strong winds around 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph could begin in the D.C. area overnight Thursday, resulting in downed trees and widespread power outages.

The ground around much of Maryland is saturated, so additional rainfall and high-winds can topple trees and create power outages, officials said. Crews are checking over rapid response equipment such as chain saws and chippers, as well as inspecting drainage ditches in advance of the storm.

>> See Also: Maryland Nor'easter To Bring 60 MPH Winds, Rain And Snow

MDOT urges drivers to get as much information about conditions and make smart travel decisions Friday morning. Motorists are urged to monitor the forecast as threat levels can change throughout the day. Drivers can visit this site for real-time travel alerts and conditions.

Nor'easters form when cold and warm meet and create instability in the atmosphere. Named for the region the storms mostly impact, nor'easters are most common through the winter months and impact large metropolitan regions like DC, New York and Philadelphia.

The nor'easter is expected to bring strong winds along the East Coast, coastal flooding and beach erosion to New England and New York's Long Island, snow to the Midwest and inner East Coast and rain to the South.