Photo by theqspeaks

Good morning, Washington, and Happy Groundhog Day. Or, um, Marmot Day, as the case may be. Breaking! That over-sized, hibernating rodent, Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow at Gobblers Knob just a short while ago, which supposedly means winter will last at least six more weeks. Going by the current forecast alone, that sure seems like it’s the case. We’ve already seen far more snow this winter than average, and now we’re staring down the business end of more snow later today and then again as the weekend approaches. Snow lovers may rejoice, but to the rest of you, I say this: it’s clear we have at last identified our common enemy. If we band together to destroy him, then maybe, just maybe, we can turn this early spring thing around. Are you with me?

Metro Runs Terror Drill at Union Station: On Monday, Metro announced it would be running a series of training drills this month designed to test the transit system’s emergency responses, and this morning marked the first of them, which turned out to be at Union Station. The Post’s Ann Scott Tyson describes the scene: “About 50 officers, including Metro’s anti-terrorism unit, criminal investigators, special response teams and other squads, moved into Union Station about 7:30.” If you happened to catch the drill, let us know what it looked like in the comments. Still to come are tactical exercises planned for Feb. 12, 13 and 24 that will include simulations of the bombing of a Metrobus, an explosion in the tunnel between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom-GWU, and shooters at Friendship Heights.

Yet Another Metro Mishap: There was another collision on the tracks of Metro over the weekend, the Examiner’s Kytja Weir reports. “A Metro maintenance vehicle carrying 20 workers crashed into a contractor’s rail truck on icy tracks Saturday night, causing a domino effect on the Red Line that damaged at least four vehicles … .” What’s worse, the agency appears not to have told the Tri-State Oversight Committee about it until Monday, even though they are required to do so within two hours, nor did it alert the media. Thankfully no injuries resulted from the crash, and work continued Saturday, “despite the icy conditions that apparently caused the crash.”

Briefly Noted: Two men exchanging insurance info after collision in Adelphi are struck and killed by third driver … Fenty and O’Malley talk regional crime … D.C. Council to consider expanding guide-dog laws … Car slides into Chinese restaurant in Langley Park … Catania proposes giving $6 million to troubled United Medical Center.

This Day in DCist: In 2009, we tried to help a local couple find photos of themselves getting engaged on Inauguration Day, and in 2007, we appreciated the awesome Metrorail operators who brighten our days.