Every year, COG hosts its annual Winter Weather Conference to help the region coordinate and prepare for the winter weather season. The main purpose of this year’s conference was to discuss the updated COG Winter Weather Plan, which provides guidance on regional coordination to minimize winter weather-related disruptions that affect the whole community from transportation and public safety to business and the environment.

During the conference, local, state, and federal stakeholders converged at COG to meet with their counterparts and prepare for all types of winter weather hazards. Presentations included a National Weather Service winter outlook that forecasted fewer arctic outbreaks and more than average precipitation and coastal storms. Members from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), National Park Service (NPS), Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination (MATOC), U.S. Office of Personnel Management, local and state Departments of Transportation (DOT), and local emergency management and public works departments participated in the conference.

Agencies around the region start preparing for the winter season months in advance. For example, the county and state DOTs, as well as the NPS, developed comprehensive plans for their snow plowing crews, contractors, planning teams, etc. In addition, WMATA also has a plan in place for their bus routes and rail lines and is deploying the latest technology for clearing train rails. Further, to provide the most up-to-date forecasting as storms approach, the NWS is in constant communication with COG, MATOC, and with each of the individual jurisdictions in the region.

Year-round, COG also maintains the Regional Incident Communication and Coordination System (RICCS), a 24/7 system that helps officials communicate during emergencies. COG uses RICCS to organize regional conference calls leading up to a winter storm. This inter-jurisdictional communication is critical to establishing decisions on whether to open or close and messaging to inform the public.

COG Executive Director Chuck Bean talks about regional planning for winter in this 2017 OPM video.

The winter weather preparation by COG and its partners is rooted in the commitment to regional coordination, and to the safety and security of the residents in the National Capital Region.

Anthony Rosano is a Senior Planner in the Department of Homeland Security and Public Safety at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.