Blizzard Coming, Metro to Close; Mayor Apologizes for Wednesday Response
By • January 28, 2016 0 923
“We are very sorry for an inadequate response,” Mayor Muriel Bowser Bowser said at a Jan. 21 news conference about an inch of snow that fell during the Wednesday evening rush. “We should have been out earlier with more resources.”
D.C.’s major arteries—from Wisconsin Avenue leading up to Bethesda to downtown streets—were jammed with cars, as pedestrians also struggled on icy sidewalks. For some, who usually have a 20-minute commute, it took two to three hours to get home. Roads in Maryland and Virginia were also slammed with traffic.
Meanwhile, the talk of the town is the Friday to Saturday blizzard, forecast by the National Weather Service, which predicts about 20 inches of snow for Washington, D.C.
Even the Metro system will shut down over the weekend, starting later on Friday, Jan. 22. Read details here.
“I have lived in Washington, DC my whole life and I don’t know that I have lived through a forecast like this,” said Bowser, who added that D.C. was prepared for the huge storm.
According to the D.C. government, “The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Warning in effect from 3 p.m., Friday, Jan. 22 through 6 a.m., Sunday, Jan. 24. Heavy snow and wind expected, with a projected accumulation of about 24 inches of snow. Temperatures will be in the mid to upper 20s, with increasing winds up to 40 mph. Heavy snow and blowing snow will cause dangerous conditions. Travel and visibility is expected to be limited during the storm.”
D.C., Maryland and Virginia have declared states of emergency. All public schools in the region will be closed Friday. The District response will include coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Guard.
Residents are anticipating a huge snow storm that would rival the Snowmageddon of 2010 that brought two feet of snow to the city and shut it down for days.
