Helpful Winter Weather Resources

 

This week brought the first significant snow in several years, and residents may have questions about who to ask for information, how to get updates on snowplowing, who to report a power outage to and how to report other issues and concerns. The following is a list of winter resources available to residents throughout the season.  

Alert Montgomery

Alert Montgomery is a valuable tool for receiving emergency alerts, event updates, warnings and instructions delivered directly to your email or device. Sign up for Montgomery County's  Alert Montgomery. 

Helping the Unhoused

During extreme cold emergencies and winter storms, staff from the Department of Health and Human Services and community-based partners reach out to unhoused individuals and urge them to seek shelter. The County will activate emergency shelters as needed. Residents concerned about the well-being of someone who is unhoused can call the 24-hour Homeless Information Line at 240-907-2688. Outreach partners will attempt to locate the individual and urge them to come indoors to a shelter. If someone is seeking shelter, call the Crisis Center at 240-777-4000. The County may be able to offer transportation to a shelter. Outreach teams can help get someone to a shelter and if the Montgomery County Police Department encounters an unhoused individual, they provide transportation to one of the emergency shelters.

Winter Storm Information Portal

Residents often have questions about the status of plowing in their neighborhood. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) crews begin plowing and salting primary roads at the beginning of a storm before plowing and salting secondary roads and residential neighborhoods. Residents can check plowing operations and submit service requests for missed streets after plowing operations end.

MCDOT is responsible for clearing snow on 5,300 miles of County roads, including 1,608 emergency primary routes and more than 3,600 residential roads. Primary routes are kept clear as a priority for emergency vehicle access. The Maryland State Highway Administration is responsible for clearing all State roads in the County, including those designated by numbers. Find out who maintains your street on the Snow Information Portal.

MC311 Customer Service Center

MC311 is the County’s source for non-emergency government information and services. Residents can contact MC311 for information about a variety of issues, such as questions about County services offered during a storm or affected by a storm, including bulk trash or recycling bin pick-ups, fallen trees blocking roadways or sidewalks, road or sidewalk repair, shelter options, street light outages, streets not cleared within 24-36 hours after the storm ends and transit schedule changes.

MC311 is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Call 3-1-1 within the County or, if outside the County, call 240-777-0311 or visit the MC311 website.

Utility Service Disruptions

To report a loss of power or other utility, reach out to the specific utility (electric, gas and water). 

If you see a downed power line, leave the area immediately and report it to Pepco. Contact the Pepco Outage Center to report an outage via the online portal. You also can text OUT to 48710 or call 1-877-737-2662:

• Pepco (Electricity): 1-877-737-2662 or Pepco Outage Center.
• Washington Gas (Gas Leaks): 1-844-927-4427 or Washington Gas Emergency.
• WSSC Water (Water and Sewer): 1-800-828-6439 or WSSC Customer Service.

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Stay Informed

For the latest snow-related updates, visit the County's Snow Information Portal and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X @MontgomeryCoMD. Visit the County’s website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov for additional information.

For the latest updates on road conditions, closures and other storm-related information, check the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security on X for updates @ReadyMontgomery.