Nor'easter impacts minimal so far in Bethesda, primarily power outages

A powerful Nor'easter that is smashing states north of here has had only mild impacts on Bethesda so far. Roads never did get much of a coating, as pavement and even many sidewalks appeared to retain heat from the temperate and sunny weather prior to the storm. Safety concerns on roads around town are limited to the slickness of water, and the occasional slush patch. The storm has proved stubborn in continuing to generate snow flurries all morning, even if they failed to stick on the streets. 

There could be danger in the hours ahead and overnight. Winds are forecast to pick up through the afternoon. Combined with heavy snow on limbs, this could lead to fallen trees and power lines. With temperatures dropping, and a low of 25° expected over the night, anything not melted - as well as the water from what has melted - will present a road hazard through Tuesday morning.

Power outages are scattered across Bethesda. Two significant outages in the Bannockburn area, and in the area of the Josiah Henson Parkway, have persisted into this morning from over the night. Now there are additional outages in the vicinity of Somerset, at four locations along Bradley Boulevard between Goldsboro Road and the Capital Beltway, in Chevy Chase near Meadowbrook Local Park, along Sangamore Road near the intelligence campus, in the Glen Echo Heights/Mohican Hills area, near Fenway Road, and near the intersection of River Road and Western Avenue.

Montgomery County gets one Bethesda sidewalk slacker to clean up act

Montgomery County has taken action to address at least one of the dangerous unshoveled sidewalk situations in downtown Bethesda. A County code enforcement officer visited the site of the future Artena Bethesda apartment building (7938-8008 Wisconsin Avenue, and 8011-13 Woodmont Avenue), and issued a violation notice for the sidewalks in front of these properties, which remained unshoveled five days after the storm ended. The property owner's contractor has now shoveled a path in response to the order, which threatened $520 in fines if the sidewalks were not cleared in 24 hours, and $750 per day after that. Montgomery County requires property owners to clear sidewalks in front of their buildings within 24 hours of the precipitation ending.

Bethesda's sidewalk scofflaws ride out snowstorm shovel-free

The pedestrian crosswalk curb ramp has now been cleared at Wisconsin and Chase Avenues in downtown Bethesda. But four days after the storm ended, some sidewalk scofflaws remained around town. Perhaps not surprisingly, one repeat offender on that list is the property owner of the vacant storefronts that are part of the long-delayed Artena Bethesda apartments project at 7938-8008 Wisconsin (former Saphire Cafe and former Golden Needle tailoring shop, former Ranger Surplus), 8011 Woodmont Avenue (former Sir Walter Raleigh Inn/Bruce Variety), and the former Montgomery County Public Parking Lot 43 (sold to the Artena project by the County several years ago). County regulations require sidewalks to be cleared within 24 hours of precipitation ending (ice stopped falling around 8:00 PM Sunday night in Bethesda). Looking at the bright side, this is about as close as moribund Montgomery County gets to a "shovel-ready" project these days.

Downtown Bethesda well-plowed while ice hampers residential street snowplowing

Curb ramps still snowed in at Wisconsin Avenue 
crosswalk at Chase Avenue last night 

Roads in downtown Bethesda were generally in good shape by yesterday afternoon, but snow plowing operations in residential neighborhoods have been complicated by the ice that made up a substantial part of the precipitation that fell between 6:00 AM and 8:00 PM on Sunday. I noticed that Montgomery County plows were having a harder time than usual getting down to bare pavement on neighborhood streets, making four passes instead of the typical two, and there being a lot more noise as a lot of the snow and ice were simply getting crushed flatter by the heavy truck. I have also seen smaller pickup truck-size vehicles with plows now being deployed.

One other factor may have played a role where road conditions remained poor. Driving around parts of Bethesda prior to the storm's arrival, I found that much less of the solution used to pre-treat the pavement had been applied to the County streets I traveled, compared to previous years. I don't know if this was a cost-saving decision, a malfunctioning sprayer truck, or a kneebend to environmental organizations. But a couple of stripes in each travel lane certainly meant that the melting function was diminished.

Also, as of last evening, the crosswalk curb ramps on either side of Wisconsin Avenue at Chase Avenue had not yet been shoveled. Property owners are responsible for clearing these ramps, as well as the sidewalks. See the photo at the top of this article. But in general, it's really quite impressive that the County was able to get the downtown streets into the condition you see here, as this snow was very, very nasty to shovel and plow after the ice storm started just before sunrise on Sunday. Despite the recent and frustrating trend of plowing only a single lane on residential side streets (property taxes have not been correspondingly reduced by 66%), we should cut the snowplow drivers a break in this case, because they were really struggling in spots to clear this away.

Day-long ice storm complicates snow removal in Bethesda (Photos)

What started as a light and powdery snow late Saturday night was pummeled all day Sunday into a heavier and harder concentration of windswept white dunes by a relentless ice storm. The hard crystals began falling just before 6:00 AM yesterday, and intensified as the morning progressed, erasing hard-won shoveling progress. By 8:00 PM, the tempest finally moved on, having vastly overstayed its welcome. Wisconsin Avenue was free of automobiles at 9:00 PM Sunday, as rare a sight as an Irish pub in Bethesda these days. Another rare sight: Tastee Diner having to close for the day as the storm blasted the town.

Urban streets were rough, but Montgomery County snow plows began tackling residential neighborhoods today, with the ice-coated snow pack being crushed by the heavy trucks more than being swept aside. More diligent plow drivers made multiple passes on streets to try to get down to bare pavement. As taxes massively increase, however, residential street plowing has decreased from full street to single-lane down the middle. Remember when the plows cleared everything, maneuvering around parked vehicles? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

Panic grocery buying begins ahead of snow in Bethesda (Photos)

Several days of media coverage of the snow storm expected to arrive Saturday night in the Washington, D.C. area has inspired a run on essential items at local grocery stores. Empty shelves were visible in some aisles at Harris Teeter in downtown Bethesda last night. Products being snapped up include the old stalwarts of milk, toilet paper, and paper towels. 

Shoppers are dutifully following new health advice from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and are buying whole milk over the low-fat options. Of course, if power goes out due to ice or falling trees, massive supplies of milk will be of little value. Also going fast under RFK, Jr.'s guidelines: red meat. 

Snow totals were expected to top 13" in initial guesses, but the National Weather Service Winter Storm Watch is now talking about 5-10" of snow accumulation. Given the decline of area government resilience in the face of even a few inches of snow this century, 5-10" could paralyze the region for days. Back in the 90s, Metrobus and Ride On kept going on major routes under reduced frequency, and Metro certainly ran on underground segments if not aboveground with more intense snow plowing operations. In recent years, the entire transit system shuts down during moderate to heavy snowstorms, and governments urge residents to "shelter in place." Heckuva job, Brownie!

Incompetence of government means you're on your own until plows and utility crews belatedly reach your neighborhood. Make sure you have plenty of batteries for flashlights and a transistor radio to receive news and weather updates in the event of a power outage. Warm clothes and blankets are essential, as well. Shelf-stable milk will be a lot more useful than those perishable plastic jugs people are hoarding. And fill your gas tank at least halfway.

The things you see on a Woodmont Avenue sidewalk after a snowstorm (Photos)

A number of odd sightings were made on Woodmont Avenue Saturday, after the overnight snowstorm, between Fairmont and Cordell Avenues. Water pouring onto the sidewalk from a drain in a wall at the 8001 Woodmont apartment building had frozen into a waterfall of ice, and was cordoned off by a pair of JBG SMITH cones for safety purposes. 

Amazon packages had been left on the front step of the vacant former Sir Walter Raleigh restaurant building at 8011 Woodmont. And some of the building's street numbers - the 0 and a 1 - have been pried off. 

Finally, the vacant properties along Woodmont - including 8011 - that are now owned by the developer of the stalled Artena Bethesda project were again forcing their way into the news. The clear sidewalk of the southern portion of the block gave way to a narrow, one-person pathway in front of the Artena lots. That's not wide enough to meet ADA standards, much less for two able-bodied people to pass each other without someone stepping onto the ice and slush.

First snow of 2025 in Bethesda (Photos)

The first snowstorm of 2025 punched above its weight in Bethesda Monday, shutting nearly everything down from government to schools to even U.S. Mail delivery in many cases. Snowfall totals were around 7", but varied by area. Plows began reaching residential neighborhood streets Monday night, but followed Montgomery County's bizarre practice of recent years in plowing only one path up most secondary streets. This is a ripoff of taxpayers in providing only a half-complete job, and forcing residents to shovel the other 50% of the public street. It is also a safety hazard, turning every encounter with a car struggling the opposite direction into a Mexican standoff. Plows should clear the entire street, maneuvering around parked cars as needed.

Plows did a much better job in downtown Bethesda
than in the residential neighborhoods

State snow removal efforts left
something to be desired on MD 355