Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, December 29 to 30, 1997

A fast-moving and rapidly deepening low pressure system raced from the South Carolina coast to east of New Jersey in eight hours. An area of moderate to occasionally heavy snow developed over western North Carolina during the morning and raced through western Virginia and Maryland during the afternoon and early evening. Accumulations ranged from 5 to 9 inches between the Blue Ridge and the Allegheny Plateau. Higher mountainous terrain received between 6 and 11 inches. Additional light snow continued over the far western portion of Allegany Co (MDZ002) into New Year's Eve.One person died from a heart attack while shoveling the snow in Hagerstown (MDZ003) on the 30th.Blowing and drifting snow on the 30th created some travel headaches, but problems were minimal since the storm occurred during a period of low traffic between the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Still, numerous nuisance accidents were reported, mainly on the 30th, across western Maryland. Allegheny Power reported between 750 and 1000 customers were without power due to storm-related damage.East of the Blue Ridge, a mix of snow and sleet accumulated between 1 and 4 inches, with values increasing with elevation. Minor travel problems were noted through the morning of the 30th. In the interior suburbs of Washington and Baltimore, accumulations were an inch or less.