With some snow in the forecast for the weekend, cities and towns throughout the D.C. area are getting ready.
In the District, snow plows will go to work as early as 3 a.m., according to a Tweet from D.C.'s 311 center. The city expects to have 200 snow plows deployed by 4 a.m., and will pre-treat bridges, overpasses and other elevated structures with a solution made of brine and beet juice to prevent freezing.
Storm Team 4 Chief Meteorologist Doug Kammerer says the District will see a thin coating of snow early tomorrow, beginning around 3 or 4 a.m., but there will be heavier accumulation in the north and west.
The precipitation is expected to change to rain Saturday, ending in the evening.
"The system is fast moving," said D.C. Department of Public Works Director William O. Howland, Jr. "We will monitor storm conditions to determine what, if any, changes should be made in our deployment plan."
To track the plows, go to snow.dc.gov and click on "Track our plows."
Prince George's County will also deploy plows at 4 a.m. The county reminded residents to keep parked cars off snow emergency routes, and to park only on even-numbered sides of streets to make room for plows.
Virginia has spent money upgrading its snow removal program since last winter, the state's Department of Transportation said in a press release.
Among the new equipment:
- A web tool that - once two inches of snow has fallen - will allow residents in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties to enter their address and see if plows have come to their neighborhood
- A truck-mounted weather station that measures road conditions to ensure crews do not over- or under-apply chemicals
- A "super-sized" salt dome located at the Beltway and Van Dorn Street that holds 22,000 tons of salt – about three times the capacity of a typical salt dome
- And new trucks, including seven high-pressure flush trucks to clear snow and ice around the bollards that separate the new I-495 Express Lanes from regular lanes.