Winter Storm Fern arrived in Greenbelt late Saturday, January 24. Preceded by bitter cold, snow began to fall that night. On Sunday, residents woke up to at least six inches of snow and more falling. Before noon, however, the precipitation had shifted to sleet. Predictions called for an inch or more of ice to follow the snow, posing a considerable risk of power outages. Though the icy overlay closed businesses and schools, for the majority, power remained. However, a week of temperatures well below freezing created additional challenges to the cleanup in Greenbelt and beyond.
In other parts of Prince George’s County, residents complained of unplowed and impassable streets, which pose a particular challenge for emergency vehicles and vulnerable residents, including the elderly. In Greenbelt, where residents rely on the city rather than county for storm cleanup, Public Works were clearing the city’s streets throughout the storm. Residents were urged to stay off the icy streets if possible, and Maryland remained under a State of Emergency at the start of the week.
Greenbelt Businesses
The city and several stores were closed on Sunday and Monday. The Co-op Supermarket was unable to open Sunday due to lack of staff but was operating with a modified schedule by Monday morning. Generous Joe’s was able to open every day and offered free hot drinks to Public Works employees. The Greenbelt Cinema, which usually offers free snow day movies to the community when schools are closed, decided to close on Monday due to the icy conditions. They plan to offer snow day movies on Wednesday and Thursday, when children would still be off school. Prince George’s County libraries were still closed at time of press.
Schools Close
Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) were closed on Monday and, in an unusual move, announced they would not reopen until at least Friday. Prince George’s County spans 499 square miles and is the second largest county in Maryland. Owing to its size, and the need for a single decision for the entirety of the district, the school system tends to be slow to reopen after a storm. Roads throughout the county need to be passable, bus stops dug out, essential sidewalks walkable and school parking lots throughout the county cleared, for example. PGCPS is offering emergency grab-and-go meal services to students on Wednesday, January 28, and Thursday, January 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at six sites, including Greenbelt Middle School, where parents, guardians and students can pick up breakfasts and lunches.
Countywide Response
On Saturday, Prince George’s County announced it would close its warming centers at 6 p.m. that day and keep them closed for Sunday and Monday due to the weather. On Sunday afternoon, however, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), Department of Parks and Recreation in Prince George’s County announced they were opening emergency warming centers, one each in the north, central and southern areas of the county to provide safe, heated spaces for residents in need. Later county announcements designated six warming centers for Monday. The webpage on which the county announced that shelters would be closed Saturday evening, Sunday and Monday was later removed. The Greenbelt News Review called the 24-hour shelter hotline to attempt to verify the status of warming shelters but our calls were hung up or else sent to a voicemail after a lengthy hold. Visit tinyurl.com/5b48uw4h for more information.
After a storm a year ago, in January 2025, the county’s administration faced significant criticism for delayed response to snow removal and widespread icy streets and untouched roads, in some areas several days after that year’s first snowstorm. Tara Jackson, who was acting county executive at the time, said in a statement that the storm “exposed key resource limitations that hindered our ability to address both primary and residential routes effectively,” and acknowledged PGC Track Snow portal, which shows which streets have been plowed, “led to inaccurate updates on snowplow progress,” adding to frustration. Later, Public Works and Transportation staff testified to insufficient vehicles for plowing and a glitch in the plow-tracking software. That year schools were supposed to reopen from winter break on January 6 but remained closed until January 10 due to the multiday impact of the snowstorm.
Greenbelt residents are advised that the police station can be used as a warming center when other buildings are closed.
Essential Water Use
On Tuesday, WSSC Water announced an essential water use only request for Prince George’s and Montgomery counties due to an unusually high number of water main breaks and leaks caused by the extreme cold. Water remained safe to drink and no boil water advisory was issued. However, WSSC called on residents to help conserve water for fire protection and “system reliability” while they worked to locate and repair breaks across the region.
Around Greenbelt
Around the city, youths enjoyed sledding, tunnelling in the snow and building snow caves. Due to the icy layer that quickly developed from Sunday onwards there were fewer snowmen than usual. Walkers were treated to beautiful views, some traversed the lake path on skis, but others struggled to leave home due to persistently icy walkways. More snow is possible, according to the forecast for the weekend. Residents are asked to park their cars in driveways, if possible, and on even-numbered sides of the street if not.
