Winter storm forces Washington DC office closures

A snow-laden winter storm is heading into the District of Columbia, northern Virginia and central Maryland with up to 10 inches of snow Monday.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for the area until 4 p.m. Monday. The forecast calls for wind gusts of up to 35 mph and transfers are anticipated to be difficult due to adverse conditions, the agency said.

“The timing is not the best,” said meteorologist David Roth. “For the DC area, it’s morning rush hour. At least in areas of the northeast it will be more towards noon ”.

The Climate Prediction Center said 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow could fall per hour in some areas. Focused snowfall could reach 10 inches.

Snow began to fall Sunday night in parts of Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. Winter storm watches were also issued for parts of northern Alabama and southern Tennessee, as well as portions of Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and West Virginia.

The winter storm is anticipated to impact much of the south, mid-Atlantic, and east coast.

In Washington, the federal Office of Personnel Management announced that area federal offices would close Monday. Emergency and telecommuting employees would continue to work, the agency said on its website.

Several school districts in the region indicated that they would remain closed, postpone hours of operations or conduct remote classes. The DC public schools office indicated that students and staff would not return to classrooms until Thursday.

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