DC Snow Team Deploys at Midnight; Snow Emergency Goes into Effect at 7 am, Mar. 5

Photo by PoPville flickr user District Shots

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Mayor Muriel Bowser will deploy the District Snow Team, starting at midnight Wednesday, March 4 with a full deployment of more than 200 snow trucks that will be on their routes by 2 am Thursday. The District has declared a snow emergency that will go into effect Thursday, March 5 at 7 am to allow the Snow Team to clear major streets curb-to-curb. Any vehicles parked along snow emergency routes (designated by red and white signs) after 7 am may be ticketed and towed.

The forecast calls for 5 to 8 inches of snow to fall through the day and end by 7 pm Thursday. The storm will begin as rain Wednesday night then mix with sleet before turning to all snow by 5 am. Snowfall will be heavy at times. Through most of Thursday, air and surface temperatures will be below freezing, so precipitation will stick. Overnight, Thursday into Friday, temperatures will fall well below freezing to a possible record low of 10F and remain below freezing through Friday.

Whatever the mode of travel, people are asked to be cautious because subfreezing temperatures are expected overnight. Motorists are asked to remove all snow from their vehicles before driving. Snow may blow back on following vehicles and cause accidents. Property owners are asked to put abrasives (pet-safe de-icer, rock salt or non-clumping kitty litter) on their sidewalks before the storm starts. Sidewalks are to be cleared within 24 hours after the end of the storm.

Snow Emergency Details

To learn where a vehicle has been towed, call the Towed Vehicle Locator office at 202.541.6083 or go to http://dpw.dc.gov/service/locate-towed-vehicle.

The snow emergency will remain in effect until an announcement is made that it has been lifted. Motorists are asked to tune into television and radio broadcast stations or go to www.snow.dc.gov for a notice that the snow emergency has been lifted.

Vehicles ticketed for a snow emergency violation and towed by DPW will be taken to the DPW Impound Lot at 5001 Shepherd Parkway, SW 20032. The lot is open weekdays from 8 am to 6 pm, the telephone number is 202.645.5500. The lot is closed weekends, holidays and when DC government is closed. Vehicles also may be towed by private towing companies, and vehicle owners can learn where their vehicle has been towed by calling the Towed Vehicle Locator office at 202.541.6083. To have an impounded vehicle released, these fees must be paid before the vehicle will be released:

· $250 ticket for the snow emergency violation.
· $100 tow fee.
· $20 per day storage fee.

Additional fees also may be required to be paid, e.g., fees for tickets older than 60 days that have not been entered into the adjudication system.”

From WMATA:

“In advance of the storm, Metro is advising customers of several service changes based on current weather forecasts:

Metrobus
• Metrobus service will operate on a Moderate Snow Plan. In the interest of safety, the moderate snow plan keeps buses from operating on hilly terrain, narrow streets and other problem areas. Some routes are suspended under the Moderate Snow Plan, while others operate on detours. Visit wmata.com for details.
• In addition, Metrobus school trips in the District of Columbia (service to DC Public Schools and Public Charter Schools) will operate unless school is cancelled.
• Additional service changes may be necessary on Thursday based on weather and road conditions. All changes will be announced via MetroAlerts and posted to the Bus Alerts page at wmata.com.

MetroAccess
• Due to the weather forecast and expected road conditions, all MetroAccess paratransit service will be SUSPENDED for the entire day on Thursday, March 5.
• The MetroAccess call center is in the process of notifying customers with existing reservations.

Metrorail
• All Metrorail stations will open at 5 a.m. with train service both above- and below-ground.
• Every effort will be made to maintain rail service during the storm; however, weather-related delays are possible.
• Customers are encouraged to check wmata.com before starting their trip or sign up for MetroAlerts to receive updated service information by email or text message.”