After three days of lamb-like weather, March finally roared yesterday.

Skiers and schoolchildren rejoiced as nearly 14 inches of snow blanketed parts of Western Maryland, covering cars, canceling classes and creating power outages for nearly 25,000 customers throughout the region.

Driven by wind gusts of up to 60 mph that tore down power lines, the fast-moving, late-winter storm caused temporary closings of parts of three main roads west of Frederick -- Interstates 68 and 81 and Route 495. More than 500 workers in 300 vehicles were summoned to salt and plow roads, said Rose Muhlhausen, State Highway Administration spokeswoman.

On Wednesday, "when I left work at 4 p.m., it was warm, reminiscent of a spring thunderstorm," said Lt. Charles R. Summers of the Hagerstown police. "But I don't think anybody expected the snow. You don't know what's going to happen next."

Even Frostburg State University -- the iron-man institution in the University System of Maryland -- closed in the wake of high winds, heavy snow and power outages that struck about 4 a.m.

Schools in Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Washington and parts of Baltimore counties did not open, while classes in Harford and Montgomery counties opened two hours late.

Cold temperatures are expected to remain through the weekend with highs forecast to be in the 40s, said John Margraf, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va.

Despite Garrett's closed roads, skiers made their way to slopes blanketed with fresh snow.

"That snow gets 'em here," said Kevin Heselbach, a manager at Rudy's Ski Shop at blustery Wisp ski resort at Deep Creek Lake, where business was brisk all day. "We don't call this storm the worst. We call it the best."

Pub Date: 3/05/99