I have never used chains or studded tires in my entire life.A front wheel drive car is all you really need for most travel, even in some snow. The only disadvantage is that that standard cars have low ground clearance, so when you try to travelin the deeper stuff (or slide into a now drift) you get stuck (bascially the frame of the car is lifted slightly and the wheels can not reach the ground and merely spin). I personally carry an army surplus folding shovel in the truck of my car for such cases.Just make darn sure that you test your engine coolant to make sure that it has enough coolant to go through the drops in temperatures. I have seen it get as cold as - 10 F for a week at a time. That is an extreme case, but still possible.Most snow starts to come in early January and lasts through mid-March. Some years it can start as early as mid-November and last as late as mid-April.
I live in Northern Vermont and drive a front wheel drive. If you re worried about Maryland winters; don t be. They re fairly mild, and you rarely get much snow accumulation, unless there s a huge storm blowing through. If you don t have winter tires on your car, I suggest you get them. Much more traction if the road conditions are a bit slippery. All in all, winter in Maryland isn t that bad.
Hi there. I live in Baltimore. The winters here aren t that bad normally, it can get bitter cold but not always that much snow. We get all the seasons here, which is a good thing. I like it here because we get to feel all the seasons, sometimes in their extremes, and not just the same thing year round. I would say that our summers are worse than our winters.
You re in Maryland not Buffalo. So don t panic.It will snow a few times, rarely more than a few inches. They will have the roads plowed quickly. Just drive slowly and never slam your breaks. Ice is a bigger problem in Maryland. Again drive slowly and don t slam the breaks.And you ll find that most people deal quite with the winter elements easily with just a front wheel drive car.
You ll want an all-wheel drive, but you ll be fine for now.We rarely get more than two inches at a time. Relax, you ll be okay. It won t snow that much. Ice is different-you ll get slippery with ice, so be really careful. But in general, it s fairly mild and usually doesn t get less than 20 degrees.
It does get cold and snowy in the winter, but nothing too bad! It s worst in January and February when it s chilly and wet. But you should be fine :) just take care driving in the ice!
Well I live in Northern VA, and don t worry, it s not bad at all. I hate the snow and cold too, but I ve lived in DC area my whole life. AT MOST, it will snow 3 or 4 days and produce 3 inches each time. Obviously, there have been years when it was worse, but it s rare. Ice is more of an issue, because the little amount of snow melts quickly, and then refreezes overnight. Usually though, it s not cold enough in the area for it to snow at all. The roads are usually cleared pretty quickly, but because no one in the area is really used to a lot of snow, schools, businesses, the government, etc, all shut down pretty quickly, even for only a couple inches!
I appears that you are inexperienced in driving in snow and ice, right? Here s my suggestion -- the first time it snows, wait until after most cars are off the road (evening), and then creep over to an empty parking lot with snow and no concrete bumpers . Practice on it a bit! Get going about 20 mph and slam on your brakes -- feel a skid and know how your car behaves. Do it in a turn. Now do that stuff again, but apply the brakes with a smooth foot movement. You need to get a bit of experience with how your car handles snow -- without being in traffic! Once the snowplows have cleared the streets, you ll drive normally, but do keep your eyes out for what looks like a big oil spot on the pavement -- that is black ice . Let your car just go slowly over ice patches, without slamming on the brakes or stepping on the gas, either of which can put you into a bad skid.If by chance there is any sort of ice storm or ice glaze, do NOT drive on it! If it s not safe to walk to your mailbox or to the curb, it s not safe for the vast majority of people to drive on. Actually, you should have very little snow to worry about, and no ice glazes, and the radio stations and local TV are pretty informative. Get a pair of snow boots, a coat, hat, and gloves, and you ll be just fine. The snow is BEAUTIFUL!
I ve lived in the DC area for three years, as well as on the PA/MD border growing up and in northern PA (much snowier) for 6 years.The snow could begin for you any time between late November to January. In Jan and Feb, sometimes it will snow and the snow will stay on the ground for awhile. Sometimes some of the heaviest storms are in March, but then it usually melts quickly because it won t stay cold for that many days. Just a few inches of snow at one time is most likely, but there s definitely the possibility to get storms with over half a foot on occasion (once a year or less though).Around the DC area, I ve noticed that schools close very quickly for even a little bit of snow. Once we only had a few inches and the school where I work closed for a week! That much didn t seem bad to me after having lived farther north, so keep in perspective that what you ll get in MD really isn t too bad.You definitely want to learn how to handle a skidding car in the snow because it will probably happen sometime. When I was learning to drive, my parents took me to a back country lane and let me practice. As you re driving in an empty place, hit the brakes hard enough to make the car skid a bit. Then you can practice turning it back straight. If you do it too sharply, you might skid in the other direction, but it ll be less. The PA driver s manual has good info about how to drive in the snow that would be relevant to you. If you re worried, check it out: http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/drivers_manua�� . You might find the tips helpful. Maryland s manual might have something useful too.Here s part of the PA Manual:Snow and IceWhen driving on snow or ice, you will need to adjust your driving to accommodate any situation. The traction of your tires on the road will be greatly reduced, seriously affecting your steering and braking ability. Also, it is extremely dangerous near 32�� (Fahrenheit), when precipitation turns to rain or sleet��a thin layer of water on top of ice is more slippery than ice alone.Watch for ��black ice,�� a condition occurring on clear roadways when a thin layer of ice forms due to dropping temperatures. When the road looks wet but no spray is coming from the tires of other vehicles, ��black ice�� may be present.When roads get slick, you should:? Reduce your speed by 5 to 10 mph on wet roads and increase your following distance to five (5) or six (6) seconds.? On ice or snow covered roads you need to slow down even more. On packed snow, decrease your speed by half; on ice, slow to a crawl. Leave about 10 times more space than normal between you and the vehicle ahead.? Apply brakes gently, ease off if you start to skid and reapply when you regain control. (Refer to ��If you have to brake suddenly�� for important information about using conventional versus anti-lock brakes in emergency stops.)? Do not use your cruise control when driving on slippery roads. Snow, ice, slush and rain can cause wheel-spin and loss of control. The only way to stop wheel spin and regain control is to reduce power. But, an activated cruise control system will continue to apply power, keeping your wheels spinning.? Adjust your speed to avoid meeting other vehicles at slippery areas, such as shady spots and frost on bridges during cold weather. This will reduce the risk of skidding into the other vehicle.? On icy or snow-packed roads, try to time your arrival at an intersection by letting your vehicle coast until the light turns green and vehicles ahead of you have begun to move. This way, you will not have to brake to stop and then accelerate to begin again. Also, when going uphill, stay far enough behind the vehicle ahead, so you will not need to slow down or stop. Before starting downhill, shift to a lower gear for better control.______________________________________��Also, I really recommend keeping an ice scraper, a shovel, and a good pair of outdoor gloves in your trunk. You never know when you might be at work all day only to have your car completely covered in snow when it s time to leave. I ve been really thankful many times that I had snow supplies with me. In addition, be aware that it can sometimes take quite a while to clean off a car. Ice is worse than snow, and ice underneath of lots of snow is really a pain. You don t want to be running out the door for work in the morning and then find you have to spend 20 minutes cleaning your car before you can leave. If they re calling for snow, try to leave time for that in the morning.Finally, be really, really carefully when driving over overpasses and bridges. Sometimes the roadways everywhere else will just be wet but these areas will have a coating of ice. In one icy day I saw three accidents during a 10 minute drive, all on overpasses.So, do a little practice and make sure to be careful, but don t worry too much. I ve driven in it for over 10 years and the biggest problem I ve ever had was ju