Photo by specimenlife.

Good morning, Washington. Are you ready for some THUNDERSNOW? Snow addicts will likely get their long-awaited fix today, as the latest forecasts show that the Washington region can expect between three and eight inches of snow over the next 24 hours. (Though how much of that snow will stick on the ground, given yesterday’s relatively high temperatures and this morning’s rain, is still up in the air.) Now before you get too excited, we’re not talking about the kind of accumulation we saw during the great snow season of 2009-2010 here, but it’s something. Schools in the Washington surburbs have already gone ahead and closed up shop for the day, assuming the worst; D.C. schools are up and running, as usual, however. DDOT rolled out the salt trucks again this morning, but are reminding people that this morning’s precipitations could make sidewalks slick. And here’s something to keep in your back pocket: a list of the numbers you should call if you experience power outages or downed trees as the storm rolls through town.

Large Number Of DCPS Teachers Turn Down Bonuses: One of the biggest carrots in the contract which D.C. teachers signed with the city last year was the installation of sizable bonuses for those who exceeded evaluation standards. The bonuses can be as large as $25,000 — but according to WAMU, 40 percent of teachers who were offered the checks for their performance in the 2009-2010 school year turned them down, out of displeasure with the evaluation criteria.

Regional Unemployment Remains Steady: Many Washingtonians were likely nodding along with President Barack Obama last night as he described this as “our generation’s Sputnik moment,” a point in which innovation has the potential to create millions of new jobs. And we could use them: the unemployment rate around the country fell 0.4 percent in December, but the rate in D.C. only saw a small 0.1 percent drop to 9.7 percent. (Maryland and Virginia’s rates were unchanged.) The District posted losses in leisure and hospitality, financial services and retail.

Briefly Noted: D.C. Councilmember Phil Mendelson calls for increased enforcement of traffic laws…Prince George’s County water advisory in effect for at least another two days…Maryland proposes allowing table games at casinos…Former Arlington Cemetery urns found for sale at auction will be returned…Despite their dislike for Adrian Fenty, the Washington Teachers’ Union didn’t actually donate any money directly to Vince Gray.

This Day in DCist: In 2010, then-D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee was responding to comments she made about firing teachers “who had hit children, who had had sex with children, who had missed 78 days of school,” while a judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against the National Park Service by a woman who was arrested for dancing at the Jefferson Memorial in 2008.