Icy conditions could continue to be a concern Tuesday as cold air returns, but fears of treacherous travel Monday did not come to pass as a mostly rainy weather system brought a glaze of ice to some of the Baltimore area.
Traces of ice were reported Monday morning across Baltimore and Carroll counties and northern Baltimore, according to the National Weather Service. As much as 0.13 inches of ice was reported near Westminster.
Rain was forecast to continue overnight Monday into Tuesday, and with wind chills expected to drop into the upper teens, more ice is possible, the weather service cautioned.
Public schools in Harford County, Carroll County and Baltimore County's Hereford Zone closed. McDaniel College also closed. Other districts across the region delayed openings Monday, with a slow, snowy commute from a week earlier fresh in many minds. Officials in Anne Arundel County and Baltimore faced criticism for opening on time in the snow Jan. 6, and both announced delays Sunday night before any freezing rain had fallen.
"This one had ice," said Anne Arundel schools spokesman Bob Mosier. "Last week was snow and slush. Ice is really our biggest enemy when it comes to transportation."
Last week's snowfall, about 2 inches for most of the region, caused about 150 accidents across the county and sent three teenagers to the hospital.
City schools spokeswoman Edie House-Foster said announcing Monday's delay Sunday night "provided the benefit of advance notice to our students, families, and staff" and allowed school officials to coordinate with the Maryland Transit Administration to adjust schedules.
Otherwise, the glaze of ice caused few disruptions. Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. reported about 1,700 customers lost power during the day. About 1,400 of them were from an outage in Anne Arundel that lasted an hour in the early morning hours, BGE spokeswoman Rachael Lighty said.
Relatively warm wind from the south plus treatment of roadways prevented much ice from accumulating, said Heather Sheffield, a meteorologist with the weather service's Baltimore/Washington forecast office. Temperatures around the region were hovering close to or above freezing, limiting ice accumulations along the Interstate 95 corridor to untreated surfaces, she said.
Wintry precipitation is not in the forecast for the rest of the week, though cold air is returning. Tuesday and Wednesday could remain below freezing, with lows forecast in the teens and 20s this week.
Baltimore Sun Media Group reporters Liz Bowie and Tim Prudente contributed to this article.
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