Greg Slater of the State Highway Administration said crews would work through the night to keep roads clear and asked people to stay home Tuesday if possible.
The agency has 2,700 workers and the same number of pieces of equipment on hand to battle the snow, he said. The state had about 380,000 pounds of salt and 1 million gallons of salt brine available for this storm.
In Baltimore, officials activated the snow emergency operations center and called into service 180 pieces of heavy equipment to prepare for the storm, city Transportation Department spokeswoman Adrienne Barnes said.
The city planned to call contractors in at midnight to join city crews, she said.
Officials asked commuters to avoid driving Tuesday morning for safety reasons and to give snow-removal crews room to do their jobs. Barnes asked people to exercise “extreme caution” when deciding whether to drive.
“If you don’t have to go out tomorrow, you might want to stay indoors,” she said.
The Maryland Transit Administration said commuter buses and its mobility/paratransit service would be suspended Tuesday. MARC trains will be on a reduced “R” schedule. “Ice trains” will run on the light rail system to keep ice from forming on the line.
Local buses were set to run on schedule — though officials said diversions were possible.
In Anne Arundel County, libraries announced they would be closed Tuesday. In Carroll County — where forecasts predicted a foot or more of snow — government offices will be closed, and Carroll Hospital Center canceled community programs and support groups.
Carroll was expecting snow and sleet accumulation of five to nine inches overnight and possibly another four to eight inches Tuesday. Jeff Castonguay, the county’s public works director, said he hoped to get plows through major roads and initial routes by the start of the morning commute, but acknowledged, “It could be a little dicey for a while.”
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore announced it would close Tuesday as well. Spokeswoman Jane Ballentine said most of the animals will be kept inside during the storm, and said the zoo ordered extra food in case roads are shut down.
“It seems that everyone is going to be closed in tightly,” Ballentine said. “We’re going to have folks keeping track of stuff through the night.”