A fatal crash in northern Harford County and a 49-car wreck near the Baltimore-Howard county line followed a slippery Sunday morning that began with an unexpected band of freezing rain.
Police in multiple jurisdictions reported crashes "way too many to count" early Sunday, and both State Highway Administration and Maryland State Police officials urged motorists to delay their travel.
One person died in a crash in Harford County, while 49 cars were reported to be involved in a pile-up on U.S. 40 East near Chestnut Hill Drive. The accident, on the down-hill slope toward the Patapsco River, was cleared shortly after 1 p.m., according to the State Highway Adminstration. The crash shut down both traffic lanes and the shoulder in either direction near the line separating Baltimore and Howard counties, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation.
A Maryland Transit Administration bus was involved in a crash on Rocklyn Avenue in the Milford Mill area, sending six people to a local hospital, officials said.
All lanes of Interstate 83 South at Northern Parkway were closed for about 30 minutes at 10 a.m. due to crashes, and re-opened after they were salted, according to Baltimore's Office of Emergency Management.
State Highway Administration officials blamed an unexpected band of freezing rain.
The daybreak timing made for a challenge, as well.
"At about 7:40 a.m., just as the sun came up, freezing conditions affected a widespread area in eastern Howard County and in Baltimore County, as well as parts of Carroll and Harford," said Dave Buck, State Highway Administration spokesman. "These conditions were not forecast by the National Weather Service until 8 a.m."
National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Witt referred questions about the timing of the Sunday morning forecast to the service's public affairs department, which couldn't be reached late Sunday. Witt said the rain "came in pretty quickly" from Southern Maryland at about 7 a.m. to the Baltimore area around 8 a.m. He said there was no significant ice accumulation and temperatures were in the mid-30s Sunday morning.
As for the beginning of the week, precipitation is expected to taper off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the area should stay dry until late Tuesday or Wednesday, Witt said.
The volume of crashes forced many of the area's emergency management departments into requesting mutual aid from neighboring communities and jurisdictions.
Harford County Fire & EMS Association posted on Facebook that "the entire county is paralyzed due to ice conditions."
One person was killed and three others were injured in a crash at Route 23 and High Point Road in northern Harford County.
Harford County government spokeswoman Cindy Mumby said the weather was unexpected.
"As of midnight, it was only rain called for," she said.
Maryland State Police on Sunday said the Harford County crash was the only weather-related fatality reported during the morning commute. Additional troopers were called in to assist with crashes, police said, noting that most of the accidents occurred in Baltimore, Cecil, Harford and Howard counties.
Baltimore Sun Media Group editor Erika Butler contributed to this report.