Severe Weather Threat Triggers Early Dismissal for PGCPS, PGCC Closure

Prince George's County Public Schools are sending students home two hours early today, and Prince George's Community College is closing at 12:30 p.m., as county officials warn of damaging winds, heavy rain, lightning, and possible tornadoes expected to move through the region this afternoon.

All field trips, after-school activities, and events across PGCPS are cancelled for Monday, March 16, including athletic games and practices. PM early childhood programs will not run, vendor-managed child care will close at 4:00 p.m., and afternoon and evening community facility use is cancelled countywide.

The threat stretches well beyond Prince George's borders. NAS Patuxent River, which is closely monitoring conditions across the Southern Maryland region, warned that current forecasts indicate the potential for strong thunderstorms, damaging winds, and possible tornado activity from South Carolina through Maryland during the afternoon. The naval installation said it will assess the forecast in the morning and issue an operating status update at 10 a.m.

Calvert County Public Schools and Anne Arundel County Public Schools are also operating on two-hour early dismissal schedules. Anne Arundel has additionally cancelled all afternoon half-day ECSE programs, CAT Center programs, and JROTC programs, with students being transported home via normal routes on the adjusted schedule.

There is some meteorological uncertainty about how severe conditions will ultimately become. If clouds and rain linger longer Monday morning, it could limit how unstable the atmosphere becomes and reduce the severe threat. However, this is still a setup worth taking seriously, according to weather analysis of the forecast.

County officials are urging residents to sign up for emergency alerts to receive real-time updates as the storm system approaches this afternoon.