Published: December 23, 2008 08:38 am      

Chill Overkill

OAKLAND — Like anyone else living in far Western Maryland, Byron Miller felt the unusual cold Monday. He found out just how cold it was when he arrived at Oakland shortly before dawn.

“It was right around zero in most places of the county. The coldest I found was minus 1 on the bank thermometer at Oakland at about 6:45 a.m., when I arrived for work,” said the Grantsville resident.

Winds gusting at more than 30 miles per hour coupled with temperatures hovering at zero pushed wind-chill readings into the sub-30 degrees range.

The cold was enough to close Garrett County schools and delay opening of schools in western Allegany County by two hours Monday.

The severe weather — including an inch of snow overnight and brisk wind gusts that created visibility “whiteouts” — prompted the snow emergency plan at 2 a.m. Monday in Garrett County, according to Maryland State Police at McHenry.

“Roads are passable but a little slippery in spots,” said Sgt. David Broadwater at the McHenry barrack. Three minor accidents were reported as an apparent result of the frigid conditions that prompted troopers into unusual assignments.

“We’re working extra patrol checks on Interstate 68 to make sure there are no stranded motorists,” said Broadwater.

Checking the entire interstate from the Garrett County line on Big Savage Mountain west to the Maryland-West Virginia line at Friendsville was not all that unusual for the McHenry barrack.

“We usually do it during severe cold,” said Broadwater.

At Keysers Ridge, a state highway worker said the temperature was 7 degrees at about noon, following an overnight low of minus 2. Wind chill readings were officially recorded in the minus 20-degrees range.

The gusting winds may have played part in power outages reported Monday morning in the Allegheny Power service area.

Less than a dozen customers were without service in Garrett County in three separate outages and two in Allegany County.

In West Virginia, more than 350 customers were without electricity in Hampshire County and 138 in Morgan County.

“We got a call of a power line down on Ford Hill Road in Augusta, about five miles off U.S. Route 50 at about 10:05 a.m.,” said Hampshire County 911 dispatcher Teressa Sorrell.

Allegheny Power crews were already on the scene when first-responders arrived upon being dispatched to the area for a reported brush fire.

Contact Jeffrey Alderton at jlalderton@times-news.com.