When Robbie Blinkoff saw the forecast, he knew exactly what was coming.

A Buffalo native, the Rodgers Forge dad had big plans in mind Wednesday morning for the wet snow.

"When I saw the kind of snow it was, I knew it'd be good for snowmen," he said.

So he was outside Dumbarton Middle School at 9 a.m. with his two children, 6-year-old Max and 10-year-old Shayna, making not just one snowman, but a whole snow family.

"We're working on the mommy now," Blinkoff said as he rolled another boulder of grainy snow and put it in place.

Though not all families have Blinkoff's snowman-making drive, the surprise snow that blanketed the Baltimore area is leaving families searching for a plan B. Most area schools were closed.

Though initial forecasts on Tuesday projected mostly rain, with only a few inches of snow, that soon changed. According to Foot's Forecast, the Baltimore area can now expect 5 to 8 inches by the time the snow ends early Thursday. The bulk of that hasn't even touched the ground yet, so it's possible school closures and delays could stretch into Thursday.

County road crews were called about around 4 a.m. in anticipation of a sleet and rain event, according to Tim Burgess, chief of the county Bureau of Highways. But the weather turned out to be more of a snow event than initially expected.

"I haven't had an accurate forecast all winter," Burgess said.

As of 11 a.m., Burgess estimated there were 376 pieces of equipment and more than 450 people, including private contractors, out on the road in a mostly plowing operation.

Burgess estimated that about 40 percent of the county's 2600 miles of roads had been plowed. All have been salted at least once, he said.

"We're just trying to get the rest of the roads plowed before the next event comes in this evening," Burgess said.

On state roads, crews were sent out before the morning rush will be working throughout the day, according to a State Highway Administration statement.

The snow caught Rodgers Forge mom Ellen Herndon by surprise.

"I really thought it wasn't going to happen," she said. "I was telling everyone it wasn't going to happen, so they're probably all angry with me."

Her 9-year-old son, Alex, is in no rush.

"It's the first snow [this season] you can do anything with, really," he said, as he prepared for another trip down the Dumbarton hill.

Associate Regional Editor Bryan P. Sears contributed to this report. Add your photos! Log in to Patch and click the link under the slideshow to upload your own or email them to me. Also, check out our list of the best places in town to go sledding.