DC area prepares for its first snowstorm in 3 years

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Sunday she has snow plows and street crews on hand as the nation’s capital prepares for its first major snowstorm in three years.

Ms. Bowser said workers are preparing roads and city schools will be closed in anticipation of snow that will begin blanketing the D.C. area Sunday evening and continue through Monday.

The storm will be followed by persistently cold temperatures throughout the remainder of the week, leading to continued ice and snow on neighborhood streets and sidewalks.

“Our priority, of course, is the safety of everyone in our city and the need to get the city clean and fully open as quickly as possible,” Ms. Bowser said. “If you don’t need to be on the roads tonight and tomorrow, stay home. Please stay off the roads.

The district is part of a collection of cities — from Baltimore to Cincinnati — that are expecting significant amounts of snow once the storm arrives around 9 p.m. local time.

The National Weather Service in Baltimore-Washington said five to 10 inches of powder would be dumped on the city and its surrounding suburbs once the trend eases early Tuesday.

Sleet and freezing rain will mix with the storm, the NWS said, particularly along the Interstate 66 corridor that connects the District to suburban Virginia.

A deep freeze expected to hit much of the East Coast over the next week could also complicate snow removal and road plowing efforts.

Some northern Virginia school districts have already preemptively canceled classes Monday, but the state’s largest system — Fairfax County — had yet to make a call as of Sunday afternoon.

None of Maryland’s suburban school systems have announced they will close their campuses at this time.

Baltimore County, along with Harford and Cecil counties, have already canceled classes for Monday.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared states of emergency to increase resources in areas affected by the upcoming storm.

Elsewhere in the region, Philadelphia and parts of southern New Jersey are expected to receive snow starting Sunday evening, but accumulations will not be as pronounced as in the Washington DC area.