On November 4, representatives from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), National Weather Service (NWS), public information offices, and emergency management and transportation agencies and others gathered at COG to discuss the upcoming 2013-2014 winter and review plans on coordinating and communicating before, during and after storms. At the annual briefing, officials from the National Weather Service also highlighted three new products to provide more detailed forecasts and better inform area decision-makers.

The products include new maps to show three snowfall scenarios—maximum, most likely and minimum—as well as a map to more clearly show snowfall level probabilities. There is also a new table that lets people choose specific counties and cities for detailed information on local towns in the D.C. region. For the 2013-2014 season, NWS forecasters predicted near average snow, but told officials to ensure readiness for a big storm.

Participants also heard presentations on OPM’s 2013- 2014 Washington DC Area Dismissal and Closure Procedures, updates from emergency managers and public information officers on information sharing, and a briefing from Metro on its winter weather protocols. The Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination (MATOC) program also gave an update on their activities to share information among the state departments of transportation, Metro, area leaders and the public.

For the National Weather Service presentation, click here.

For more information on MATOC, visit: http://matoc.org/

For more information on Capital Region Updates, a one stop shop for the public overseen by the region’s public information officers. Capital Region Updates features news from local governments, emergency alerts, traffic information and guidance during major, visit: http://www.capitalregionupdates.gov/