Federal Offices in DC Closed During Monday Snow Storm

Federal Offices in DC Closed During Monday Snow Storm
Snow from a storm is seen blanketed across the White House North Lawn in Washington on Feb. 1, 2021. (Tom Brenner/Reuters)
Nick Ciolino
1/3/2022
Updated:
1/3/2022

Federal offices are closed in Washington D.C. Monday amid a daytime snowstorm expected to leave three to seven inches of snow on the nation’s capital.

The National Weather Service (NWS) calls for heavy snow in the area Jan. 3, mainly before 2 p.m. and has issued a winter storm warning for the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. region, which will remain in effect until 4 p.m. ET.

The agency also predicts winds from 14 to 16 mph with gusts up to 31 mph and a high around 33 degrees Fahrenheit.

A total of 222 flights at Reagan National Airport are cancelled Monday, with 146 cancellations at Baltimore/Washington International Airport, according to FlightAware.com.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced on Sunday evening that all federal offices in the Washington D.C. area would close Monday. Emergency employees and telework employees will continue to work, according to OPM.

The White House announced it is cancelling its afternoon press briefing, but President Joe Biden is still expected to meet virtually with farmers and ranchers to discuss his administration’s new plan to reduce prices in the meat-processing industry.

The Senate is still expected to meet Monday despite the weather, but the House is not in session.

The snow in Washington is expected to clear up by the evening with an overnight low of 19 degrees.

Snow began falling Sunday night in parts of Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee. A winter storm warning was also issued in parts of northern Alabama and southern Tennessee, and portions of Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and West Virginia. By early Monday, more than 400,000 customers were without power in Tennessee, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia.

Impacts from the winter storm were expected across the South, Appalachian states, the mid-Atlantic, and up the East Coast.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.