D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore have each declared states of emergency and mobilized emergency response teams and scores of snowplows ahead of what may be the region’s fiercest winter snowstorm in years this weekend.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning Friday for D.C., large swaths of Maryland and Northern Virginia that will be in effect 11 p.m. Saturday through 4 a.m. Monday, forecasting a punishing combination of frigid temperatures and heavy snow mixed with sleet and freezing rain. Forecasters are expecting between 7 and 14 inches of snow beginning Saturday evening, warning that travel could be very hazardous or even impossible in some conditions, into the Monday commute. Power outages due to heavy icing are possible, especially south of the Beltway.
Bowser (D) has requested support from the D.C. National Guard, which is controlled by the president, to provide vehicles to aid emergency responders during the storm and to help vulnerable communities with snow removal. Spanberger (D) and Moore (D), who have control over their states’ National Guard, are also preparing troops to help respond to the storm. Moore also said he had requested federal disaster relief from the White House.
Bowser urged residents to make preparations now — such as stocking up on groceries, locating a shovel and making sure electronic devices are charged — and to stay off the roads as conditions deteriorate. She also strongly encouraged residents living outside to come into D.C.’s shelters, stressing that there is plenty of room.
“We’re very concerned about the cold, and the cold weather like this mixed with precipitation puts people in a lot of danger,” Bowser said. “Being outside in weather like this, somebody could die. If you’re outside and you’re sleeping outside — we got to get people in. We have to be safe.”
Temperatures are expected to plummet Friday night — with potential wind chills in the single or subzero digits through the middle of next week — with snow likely to begin Saturday evening and switch to sleet and freezing rain on Sunday, according to the Weather Service.
Moore implored people to cancel plans through Monday and “hunker down” as a massive and slow-moving storm dumps snow and ice across the region this weekend. “This storm is not a game,” Moore said Friday afternoon during a somber news conference at the State House. “Once this storm begins, you will see: It will be intense.”
He said the size of the storm and the frigid temperatures forecast to follow will complicate and prolong recovery, stressing the power grid. “We could have parts of the state where the snow is actually the least of the issues that you’re concerned about. It is the ice,” he said.
Tyler Anthony, president and CEO of Pepco Holdings, said that ice accumulating on power lines can cause them to go down. He said Pepco was taking preventive measures, ensuring that backup lines are ready and pre-staging equipment and staff to respond expeditiously in the event of outages. Bowser said any residents without power at home could come to warming shelters across the city.
“We don’t know how bad this is going to be, but for Pepco, we’re preparing for the very worst,” Anthony said.
D.C. public works trucks began brining roads Thursday night and will continue brining and salting through Saturday before shifting to all-hands-on-deck snow removal, said Anthony Crispino, director of D.C.’s Department of Public Works. Virginia officials said they would pretreat roadways with brine on Thursday and Friday and will position nearly 10,000 pieces of emergency equipment around Virginia, including crews for clearing downed trees. The Virginia National Guard will also mobilize to assist with responses to the storm, officials said, and the state is coordinating with electrical utilities to respond to potential power outages.
“We have a full-court press for this event,” John Scrivani, state coordinator for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, said at a news conference with Spanberger on Thursday.
Transportation officials cautioned that while highways and primary roads will get priority for clearing, work on secondary roads will take longer.
“It will be a number of days before people will begin to see their neighborhood roads cleared and a return to what we would consider a normal ability to travel,” Virginia Department of Transportation Commissioner Stephen Brich said.
Randy Clarke, CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, said Friday that service could be affected, depending on the conditions. While Metrorail can operate in snow, he said, the system may experience problems during very heavy snow with a buildup of ice on the tracks, while extreme cold temperatures can also lead to potential rail breaks, he said, causing service interruptions. Bus service will depend on road conditions, and while there may be temporary suspensions, he said that service lines to important locations such as hospitals and grocery stores will be prioritized.
“We will only run service if it is safe, and if it’s safe, we’re going to run as much service as possible because we know how critical Metro is in people’s lives in the DMV,” Clarke said.
Metro canceled track work planned for this weekend that would have involved single-tracking trains between Judiciary Square and Union Station and between Ballston and Clarendon. They have been spraying tracks with anti-icing fluid to prevent problems during the storm. While all Metro trains are now on automated operations, they go into manual mode in icy and snowy conditions.
Spanberger said she would be in contact with leaders of neighboring states to coordinate efforts. Scrivani said his office has been in “constant” contact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and had calls scheduled Thursday with the White House National Security Council and the Department of Homeland Security.
“Our coordination with the federal government has been seamless,” Scrivani said. “They’re interested in leaning forward and providing support as we ask for it.”
Spanberger, who took office Jan. 17, is facing her first big test as governor in mobilizing the state to respond to a life-threatening weather event. She said she had participated in “tabletop” training with state officials last month to simulate responding to a damaging winter storm. “So we have gone through this practice exercise, not anticipating that, certainly, the first week we’d be facing this,” she said. “But I have full confidence in the leadership of the folks here behind me and importantly the people who will be doing the work across our commonwealth.”
In Maryland, about 160 members of the Maryland National Guard have been activated and distributed across the state to help local police with emergencies, Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead said.
Airlines have waived flight-change fees for flights out of Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport, and scores of flights are expected to be grounded or canceled, officials said.
Crews on Friday readied thousands of pieces of state equipment for the storm, loading trucks with brine and salt to prevent roads from freezing and with liquid magnesium to treat roads with subzero pavement temperatures, Maryland Acting Transportation Secretary Katie Thomson said. She said tow trucks were positioned in places where tractor-trailers have been disabled during previous storms.
“We’re still not sure what type of damage this storm will cause,” Moore said, calling it a “remarkably tricky storm. We’re preparing for the worst.”
The severe weather is likely to disrupt schools on Monday. Students in at least two districts, D.C. Public Schools and Montgomery County Public Schools, had a previously planned day off from classes. Other school officials say they will monitor conditions to decide whether to adjust operations.
Jason Samenow, Rachel Weiner, Omari Daniels and April Bethea contributed to this report.
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