MTA Maryland

MTA Maryland: The season's first major winter storm will likely slow travel across Central Maryland Thursday morning in the wake of heavy, wet snow that began at nightfall with claps of thunder and flashes of lightning.

The snow snarled air travel and created a nightmarish commute across the Baltimore region Wednesday evening, problems that may linger into the morning. As of 10 p.m., traffic on parts of the major roadways, including the Jones Falls Expressway and the Beltway, had slowed to a crawl or stopped completely. Motorists trying to get home sat in their cars — some for hours.

As of early Thursday, there were already some changes on the horizon for morning commuters. The Maryland Transit Administration planned to resume local bus service in the Baltimore area at 5 a.m. after suspending it at 11 p.m. The MTA also announced there will be no Thursday service on the Camden or Brunswick MARC lines. The MTA said it would run service on the Penn Line on a modified holiday "s" schedule.

BWI's largest airline canceled most of its evening flights. Gov. Martin O'Malley urged motorists to stay off the roads unless it is absolutely necessary to travel.

The Maryland Transit Administration has suspended local bus service and expects it to resume at 5 a.m. Thursday. It has canceled all commuter bus services provided by contractors Thursday.

The agency said service on the light rail line is running 30 minutes late and is not stopping at the Woodberry station. It said the Metro has been running on schedule.