Federal Government and School Closings from Latest D.C. Snow and Blizzard

Federal government closings for Wednesday, as well as school and local government closings for Wednesdays and further days this week have been rapidly announced since the severity of this additional snowfall and blizzard have been confirmed. After 30 inches of snow fell on the Washington D.C. area over the weekend, from Tuesday evening through Wednesday afternoon, another massive snow accumulation is predicted.

Snow forecasts and accumulation predictions are ranging from 6 to 12 inches to a much more severe 16 to 24 inches. The heaviest snowfall isn't expected until Wednesday morning and early afternoon, and due to to the previous accumulation, federal government closings became official very early on. Additionally, winds on Wednesday could include gusts of 30-45 mph, making conditions that much worse.

Federal Government Closings and Other Official Closings

Federal government closed Wednesday, February 10 and potentially farther pending the snow.

Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Loudoun County, Anne Arundel County, Howard County and Manassas County schools closed for the rest of the week.

Alexandria schools closed Wednesday and Thursday

D.C. public schools, Fairfax County, Prince William County, Arlington County and Charles County schools closed Wednesday.

D.C. Metro will be operating at underground stations only for Wednesday, February 10, and Metrobus and Metro Access will be closed. Other transportation such as Ride On buses will be canceled, and fights at all local airports are expected to be grounded.

Of course, all school closings could be increased pending the results of the latest storms. At the low end of the spectrum, six more inches would be a relief to overwhelmed area residents and things would return to normal fairly quickly. At the upper end, another 20 inches would put the region into a further paralysis, and leave the majority of residents essentially trapped in their homes.

The Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia areas have been paralyzed from the recent snowstorm, as chronicled over the weekend from my D.C. Blizzard Updates blog. Much of the area is still without power and many neighborhoods have still not been plowed. Even major roads have remained sketchy at best, and all of this was before this most recent storm.

The snowfall totals and accumulations in Washington D.C. over the last week alone have been about three times the yearly average for the region. The Federal government closing on Wednesday marks the first three day absence of the government in nearly a decade and a half, dating back to 1996.

Snowfall totals and accumulation should be less severe than the initial 20 plus inches that were estimated, but a foot or more is still very likely in many regions. Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia residents should stay at home and hopefully everybody is already stocked up on the essentials.