District Snow Team will Deploy Tonight “in Preparation for Possible Freezing Rain on Thursday Morning”

photo by Nathan Castellanos

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Tonight, Mayor Muriel Bowser will deploy the District Snow Team starting at 7:00 p.m. to spread brine on bridges, overpasses, National Highway System routes, and roadways with elevated surfaces ahead of possible freezing rain predicted by the National Weather Service to begin Wednesday evening around midnight through 6:00 a.m. Thursday morning. Temperatures are expected to remain in the freezing range until 10:00 a.m. Thursday morning.

Snow Team operations will run through from Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. through 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday. The Snow Team has 30,000 pounds of salt, 86,000 gallons of brine, and 12,500 gallons of raw beet juice, which it typically applies to street surfaces 72 to 48 hours before precipitation begins. Brine is a solution of salt and water, and its freezing point is lower than pure water, making it a useful tool in reducing the adhesion of ice to road surfaces. After 10:00 a.m. Thursday, rain is expected through the remainder of the day.

This will be the District’s first winter weather event of the season so the Snow Team urges residents and businesses to use this opportunity to make sure they are prepared. Residents and commercial property owners are also encouraged to apply abrasives such as rock salt, deicer, or non-clumping kitty litter to the sidewalks around their properties to reduce the possibility of icing and to prevent slips and falls. The Snow Team uses pet friendly deicer on District pedestrian bridges. As the season progresses, business and homeowners are reminded that they must clear their sidewalks, parklets, and streateries of any ice or snow within eight daylight hours of an event’s end. 

Residents are encouraged to:

Check on vulnerable neighbors and call the Shelter Hotline at (202) 399-7093 to request transportation to shelter for persons in DC who are experiencing homelessness.”