This weekend, Maryland could see historic snowfall, freezing rain, sleet and frigid temperatures, and crews throughout Harford County are gearing up to keep 1,078 miles of roads safe.

National Weather Service forecast models suggest several inches of snow could fall across much of Central Maryland on Saturday. Ice could develop on roads Sunday when snow mixes with sleet or freezing rain, potentially making travel hazardous.

Harford County began pretreating roads with a salt and water mixture ahead of the expected winter weather. Once snow starts to fall Saturday or Sunday, the county said, crews will come back and put down salt, then plow roads when the snow reaches an inch or deeper.

Local governments encouraged residents to keep roads clear for plow trucks by parking their cars in their driveways when possible. For residents with no driveway, parking all cars on the same side of the street could also help.

“Anyone who does not have access to a driveway can leave their vehicle in the municipal parking garage on South Hickory Avenue over the weekend,” said Steve Kline, director of Bel Air’s Department of Public Works, in a news release. “They must be out by Monday.”

Emergency routes will be cleared first, the snowfall guide said, followed by main roads then secondary roads and courts. Part of that mileage includes 67 regular routes and eight emergency ones.

Bel Air property owners are required to clear their sidewalks within 24 hours after snow stops falling to prevent ice from forming.

The snow could last into Monday, bringing into question whether Harford County Public Schools will be open.

This year, the school system introduced a three-hour delay for inclement weather with hopes that the option would prevent it from exhausting the snow days built into the academic calendar.

This school year, the district has used one snow day, making the last day of school June 15. HCPS has five embedded inclement weather days left to use. Each used weather day would extend the school year by one day.

As soon as the school system’s communications office is aware of changes due to weather, written messages will be published, followed by direct messages to families. Families who have downloaded the HCPS app will receive notifications faster.

Have a news tip? Contact Shaela Foster at sfoster@baltsun.com or 443-826-5894.