If it’s been said once it’s been said a hundred times. And that’s just counting comments on DCist. The District of Columbia and its suburban neighbors do not do all that well in the snow.

While area residents decide that (just in case) it might be best to clean the supermarket out of milk, bread, and batteries, they still can’t resist the siren song of the area roads they love to hate so much. The messy result involves drivers inside, outside, and on the Beltway struggling to control their cars, spinning into the median, and generally playing a region-wide game of demolition derby. All things considered, it’s probably best that so many offices shutter the second the first flake hits the ground, if only to keep people off the roads. Even those of us who can manage to keep control of a car on a thin blanket of snow have no guarantee that anyone else can.

Lucky for us, Metro is loathe to indulge in the luxury of a snow day, soldiering on with their normal weekday schedule. With the year’s first substantial snowfall predicted for today and this evening (substantial being anything over a dusting, of course), Metro is undertaking several measures to make sure everyone gets to where they need to be quickly, safely, and hopefully warmly. In addition to a newly acquired fleet of specially equipped Metrobuses, pictured at right, Metro has worked in recent years to improve service during snowy weather. About a third of Metro’s rail cars have been modified to make them less vulnerable to the snow and ice, and de-icing units and ice scrapers have been added to other cars to help keep the electrified third rail clear. Metro will be up early tomorrow morning to clear snow from stations and parking lots and clear and salt walkways, contracting out plowing duties if necessary.

Still, Metro says riders should build extra time into their travel plans just in case, as delays are possible. While Metro usually operates with only minor delays in up to six inches, anything over 6-8 inches is a different story. If the snow gets too deep, all above ground train service will be suspended for safety reasons. Though we’re it looks like we’ll just be getting a thin coating, if you are worried about service disruptions you chould call Metro Customer Service at 202-637-7000 or go to Metro’s website.

Photo by noxious nick