Weather Intelligence for Winter Storm Operations | Case Study

Photo Credit: CSG Ltd – www.cheapsnowgear.com

We love a good snow storm, don’t you? The first real snowfall of the season is enough to make residents excited. The first snowfall let’s you know that winter is finally here. Not to mention, there is no prettier site than your neighborhood covered in a sparkly blanket of the white stuff.

While residents enjoy the beauty of the snow, however, local governments are gearing up to clear the streets, haul snow, and keep roadways and residents safe. It’s a big job that requires a lot of preparation – which can be tough to do when a blizzard moves in.

Montgomery County Department of Transportation Winter Operations

Ask the people of Montgomery County, Maryland. This large county located just outside the nation’s capital is the most populous county in all of Maryland, with over 1 million residents. While most people don’t associate Maryland with snow, they see plenty of varying winter weather condition as the season progresses.

Although some residents love the snow, winter storms challenge the Montgomery County Department of Transportation each year. With all those people and over 5,300 lane miles, 70,000 parking lots, and 78 transit routes to clear, snow preparation, removal, and hauling is no joke to these professionals.

How does their team manage it all? With Earth Networks web-based weather visualization software that provides forecasting, alerts, and real-time, hyperlocal weather data. Each snow storm, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation has to make critical decisions based on the expected weather conditions. For example, the own 200 pieces of in-house equipment, but for storms of over 4 inches they require more equipment. Therefore, they need to solidify arrangements for extra equipment and contractors before the snow hits and before neighboring counties do.

When it comes to their daily winter operations of preparing, clearing, and hauling snow, Montgomery County Department of Transportation needs to make the right weather-related decisions.

Learn More

In January 2016, a severe winter storm really put Montgomery County’s weather tools to test. This storm, known as Winter Storm Jonas, would go down in history as one of the worst Mid-Atlantic storms in recorded history. How did they manage? Read our latest case study to learn more about the challenges we helped the Montgomery County Department of Transportation overcome.