Mountain Maryland is a wonderful place to visit -- but not this weekend.
The State Highway Administration is warning motorists that blizzard conditions are creating dangerous travel conditions in Garrett County and western Allegany County.
The SHA says heavy snow and high winds are bringing "extremely hazardous" travel conditions along Interstate 68, U.S. 40 and other roads west of Cumberland. Dave Buck, an SHA spokesman, said the whiteout conditions are so bad in some places that drivers can't see more than a few feet ahead of them.
The highway agency warns that delays and hazardous conditions could last through much of the weekend. The SHA urges travelers to consider postponing westwatrd trips to let crews plow and treat roads.
Buck said conditions are deceptively ordinary as far west as Cumberland but deteriorate rapidly in the higher elevations closer to the Garrett County line. The Sun's Frank Roylance reports that Garrett County officials have reimposed a state of emergency -- a significant step in a jurisdiction that normally shrugs off heavy snow.