MCPS closes schools Monday, Tuesday due to Hurricane Sandy

2:42 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28 – MCPS has announced that it will close all of its schools on Monday, Oct. 29, and Tuesday, Oct. 30, due to "emergency weather conditions."

10:42 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27 – On Friday morning, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley declared a State of Emergency for every county in Maryland. The declaration came as Hurricane Sandy, a Category 1 storm, approaches the eastern United States coast.

Weather.com's Chris Dolce, Jon Erdman and Nick Wiltgen predicted that the center of the storm will hit around or North of the Washington, D.C., area. "Our latest projected path takes the center of Sandy into the Northeast coast between Long Island and the Del-Mar-Va Peninsula," they wrote on Saturday.Regardless of the precise location of the center, area residents can expect to feel the effects of the storm, they explain. The article reads, "It is very important to not focus on the center of our projected path map since the major impacts will extend across a wide area well away from where Sandy's center eventually moves inland."

It is possible that many in the area will lose power. The Potomac Electric Power Co. (PEPCO) published on its web site, "Heavy rain and high winds are predicted for the Washington, D.C., metro area over a sustained period. These severe weather conditions could cause widespread and extended power outages as trees heavily covered with leaves may fall on power lines, bringing down spans of wire, breaking poles and damaging other electrical equipment. "

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has not yet released to the public a decision on whether or not schools will be closed on Monday. MCPS stated that the decision will be announced by 5 a.m. on Monday.

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