Baltimore’s state of emergency remains active as lingering ice disrupts travel, trash pickup, and cold-weather sheltering

Emergency status continues as cleanup shifts from snowfall to ice management

Baltimore remained under a local State of Emergency through the weekend as crews and residents continued grappling with lingering snow and ice following a late-January winter storm. City operations stayed focused on roadway clearing, service adjustments, and public safety messaging tied to hazardous travel and prolonged freezing conditions.

The emergency declaration activated the city’s emergency planning and enabled a coordinated response across agencies. The city’s emergency management structure also remained engaged to support logistics, staffing, and interagency coordination as conditions evolved from active precipitation to persistent ice and compacted snow.

Snow Emergency Plan Phase I keeps restrictions in place on key routes

Phase I of Baltimore’s Snow Emergency Plan remained in effect, maintaining expectations for safer travel conditions on city streets and supporting continued snow-removal operations. City guidance emphasized equipment readiness for vehicles traveling on city streets and urged residents to avoid parking along designated snow emergency routes to help keep plows and contractors moving efficiently.

Transportation crews and contractors continued clearing major corridors and secondary streets where accumulations and refreeze remained a problem. Officials repeatedly warned that surfaces that appear merely wet can conceal ice, especially where melting during the day is followed by sharp nighttime drops in temperature.

Public works modifies trash and recycling operations during storm recovery

Service disruptions extended beyond transportation. During the cleanup period, recycling collection was suspended for the week as resources were redirected toward storm response and as conditions complicated collection routes.

Trash collection also shifted away from alley pickups. Residents were instructed to move containers to alley entrances or to the front of their homes to support access for crews and reduce the risk of vehicles becoming stuck or sliding in narrow, shaded lanes where ice can persist longer.

• Recycling collection: suspended for the week during storm operations.
• Trash collection: no alley pickup; containers moved to alley ends or front-of-home locations.
• Missed collections: residents directed to use the city’s 311 system for service follow-up.

Cold-weather response continues under Code Blue alert

Alongside snow and ice impacts, the city’s cold-weather posture remained elevated. A Code Blue Extreme Cold Alert was in effect through Sunday, February 1, 2026, extending the focus from road safety to life safety for people at risk of exposure. City messaging urged residents to check on vulnerable neighbors and to take precautions to prevent cold-related emergencies.

What residents were told to prioritize

Officials emphasized limiting travel, giving snow crews room to operate, and using extra caution on sidewalks, crosswalks, and untreated side streets where refreezing is common.

Residents were also reminded to take steps to protect household plumbing during prolonged freezes and to help clear storm drains where safe to do so, reducing localized flooding when daytime melting begins.

City agencies indicated that cleanup and service restoration would continue as conditions allow, with updates expected as temperatures and roadway conditions change.