WASHINGTON, D.C. – With snow and a surge of Arctic air expected to bring winter weather to the Washington, D.C. region and surrounding areas this weekend, forecasters and emergency officials are urging residents to prepare now, from stocking up on essentials to making a plan for travel, school and work disruptions.

What we know:

Weather models show a significant winter storm could impact the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area late Saturday into Sunday, with snow likely falling across the region and very cold temperatures building in behind the system.

This Arctic blast may usher in bitter cold and frigid wind chills, making it feel much colder than the actual air temperature once snow begins and after it ends.

What is the polar vortex? Why it matters as snow and Arctic cold threaten the Northeast

What to stock at home

Officials recommend having enough supplies to last at least several days in case travel becomes difficult, according to the CDC.

That includes:

• Food that does not require refrigeration or cooking
• Drinking water
• Prescription medications and basic first-aid supplies
• Flashlights, batteries and phone chargers
• Blankets, warm clothing and extra layers
• Baby supplies or pet food if needed

It’s also a good idea to make sure you have rock salt or ice melt and a working snow shovel.

20 November 2024, Lower Saxony, Garbsen: An excavator loads road salt onto its shovel. Photo: Alicia Windzio/dpa (Photo by Alicia Windzio/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Travel prep before snow begins

If you need to drive during or after the storm, preparation is critical.

Before snow arrives:

• Fill up your gas tank
• Check windshield wipers, tires and antifreeze
• Keep an emergency kit in your car with blankets, snacks, water and a flashlight
• Monitor road conditions and weather alerts

Once snow begins, travel can become treacherous quickly, especially on major routes like I-95 and local roads. Officials urge residents to avoid unnecessary travel during and immediately after snowfall.

School and work planning

Snow and icy conditions can lead to delays, early dismissals or closures for schools and some workplaces.

Families are encouraged to:

• Review remote learning or work-from-home plans
• Make childcare arrangements in advance
• Keep an eye on district announcements and employer updates

Planning ahead can help reduce stress if schedules change quickly, according to FEMA.

FILE – A young woman scratches snow and ice from the windscreen of her car. (Carmen Jaspersen/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Stay safe during extreme cold and possible power outages

In addition to snow, dangerously cold temperatures can pose serious health risks, especially if power outages occur.

According to FEMA, extreme cold can increase the risk of hypothermia, frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning and house fires, particularly when people rely on alternative heating sources. 

Officials recommend:

• Installing and testing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home
• Keeping anything that can burn at least three feet away from space heaters and fireplaces
• Never using an oven, grill or generator to heat your home
• Using generators only outdoors and at least 20 feet away from doors and windows

If the power goes out and indoor temperatures become unsafe, FEMA advises relocating to a heated community space if one is available.

What we don’t know:

The exact total of snow and the duration of impacts depend on the storm’s track and strength. Some models show more snow farther northwest, while others keep totals closer to the I-95 corridor.

Forecasts may change leading up to the event, and officials say conditions can vary widely across the region.

Why you should care:

Even a few inches of snow combined with bitter cold and icy conditions can halt travel, disrupt routines and create hazardous conditions, especially during peak travel times.

Preparing now, before stores become crowded and roads become slick, can help you avoid last-minute stress and stay safe through the storm.

What’s next:

Residents are encouraged to:

• Monitor updated forecasts from the National Weather Service and FOX 5 DC.
• Sign up for weather and emergency alerts
• Follow guidance from local officials as the storm approaches

During fifth period at Walt Whitman high school in Bethesda, Maryland, dozens of students chose to walk out of class for about an hour of Tuesday’s school day.

“This is the world we’re growing up in, and it’s really important that we are politically active,” said Dalia Rees, a junior at the school.

Similar scenes played out at Montgomery Blair High and Dominion High in Sterling, Virginia.

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and Loudoun County Public Schools have policies that allow students to peacefully demonstrate — and on Tuesday, hundreds of students exercised their rights, joining other walkouts at schools across the country.

Those thousands of students nationwide protested the Trump administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and immigration enforcement that in recent weeks has turned violent.

At Walt Whitman, Rees and her fellow junior Evan Schwartz told News4 they planned the demonstration to protest ICE specifically, after the shooting that killed a Minnesota mother in Minneapolis earlier this month.

The students have demands for their school district.

“One demand is that MCPS promises a policy of non-cooperation with ICE, and we’re hoping for Whitman to educate students about civil liberties.

A towering protest piece on the National Mall recreating President Donald Trump’s alleged birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein has the White House fizzing—and tourists lining up to sign it.

The 10-foot-tall by 12-foot-wide replica card appeared early Monday on Third Street NW between Jefferson and Madison drives, with a National Park Service permit allowing it to remain through Friday, according to The Washington Post.

“We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” the message reads. “Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?… Happy birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

Trump, 79, has denied writing or drawing any part of the original note and insists the “Donald” scrawl is not his signature. He has already sued The Wall Street Journal and its parent companies over their report revealing the card.

Epstein, who died in prison as he awaited trial in 2019, would have been 73 on Wednesday.

In front of the placard on the National Mall, a stack of marble-look blocks mimics a filing cabinet labeled “The Files,” with drawers spilling hundreds of paper strips, a nod to the heavily redacted and still-unreleased Epstein files that the Justice Department has so far failed to release in full under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

A box of Sharpies invites visitors to sign the “card to the administration,” and the messages have generally not been positive.

Inside the West Wing, the mood was less playful. “Kudos to these Trump Deranged Liberals for constantly inventing new ways to light Democrat donor money on fire by spreading fake news,” deputy White House press secretary Abigail Jackson wrote in an email to the Post on Monday, questioning when statues would appear of Democrats she said had Epstein ties.

The blown-up birthday note is the latest clash between Trump and the Secret Handshake. The same group was behind a 12-foot bronze-painted statue on the Mall depicting Trump and Epstein holding hands and skipping.

It was installed with a permit but was pulled early by U.S. Park Police, prompting censorship complaints.

On their permit application for the birthday-card piece, the artists wrote that they wanted “to highlight the conversation about President Donald Trump’s friendship and relationship with Jeffrey Epstein using his own reported language and correspondence,” and to draw attention to Epstein files that remain redacted or unreleased.

Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law on Nov. 19, the Justice Department had 30 days to release all its Epstein records. But it missed the Dec. 19 deadline, has disclosed only a fraction of the trove, and now faces bipartisan accusations of flouting Congress’ mandate.

By midmorning on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Mall was quiet and only a handful of messages dotted the card—most of them hostile to Trump. “Looking forward to your jail sentence, DJT!” one read. “The people will rise. We already are,” said another, according to the Post.

D.C. resident Susan Fritz, 61, told the paper she liked that the artists “didn’t have to make anything up,” adding, “They just had to blow it up and put it out here.”

Others treated it as a strange civics lesson. “It shows that someone lived in a very different world from the rest of us at some point,” Anders Williams, 45, said. “It’s just weird.”

Another visitor, Ying Yong, 33, called it “great” and “hilarious.” A federal worker, declining to give her name, chose to reply in black Sharpie with a Martin Luther King Jr. quote: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.”