(Washington, DC) Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Gabe Klein, Department of Public Works (DPW) Director William O. Howland Jr., and snow team crews are preparing for the latest winter storm anticipated to begin in the city late Thursday evening. The National Weather Service is predicting precipitation will begin this evening in the form of rain but will quickly turn to ice/freezing rain and perhaps some snow as temperatures drop below freezing in the later evening hours.

“As we have seen over the past few weeks, these types of storms are unpredictable as to what type of precipitation we see in the city,” said Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. “We always want to prepare for the worst; therefore, District snow crews will be out tonight and throughout Friday treating roadways.”

The District snow team will be out in full deployment – approximately 200 pieces of equipment - starting at 9 pm this evening.

Motorists are advised to 1) give themselves additional time Friday morning as roadways may be icy and traffic slow, 2) take Metro as an option, 3) telecommute as an option, 4) drive with caution, 5) stay far back from plows and spreaders so the drivers can see the cars, 6) be patient and please do not race to pass a working plow or spreader as this is dangerous to the snow crews and the motorist – stay respectfully behind at a safe distance.

In addition, commuters and residents are reminded to:

• Do not drive distracted.
• Listen to media reports for weather updates
• Remember that driving on ice is significantly different than driving on snow. Even a 4-wheel drive SUV does not perform well in ice and additional safety measures should be followed.
• Drivers should use extreme caution and maintain safe speeds and distances from other vehicles.
• Be aware of road conditions, particularly black ice which can be deceptive in its appearance giving the driver a false sense of security on the road.
• Variable Message Signs placed strategically along local highways and corridors will remind motorists that “Bridges Freeze before Roadways” and/or “Caution – Icy Conditions” in an effort to further remind drivers to go slowly and be wary of icy conditions including black ice in the roadway. Black ice is transparent ice located on the roadway making it very difficult to detect and becoming a major hazard to motorists.
• Please remain alert and be aware of surrounding conditions including other vehicles and pedestrians.