Photo via National Zoo

D.C. will likely not see the return of Snowpocalypse this year. But if we do, we’re ready.

At a Council Transportation and the Environment roundtable on the Snow Removal Plan, two meteorologists (or weather people, as a tongue-tied Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) called them) testified that this winter would be colder than last year, but slightly warmer than normal.

Capital Weather Gang member Matt Rogers said D.C. could expect between four to ten inches of snow. When asked by Cheh how in advanced they could predict ice storms, Rogers said a few days before.

Meteorologist Chris Strong from the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration said D.C. should expect a normal winter, but should be ready for a big storm. However, he said Snowmageddon was “probably a once in a lifetime” event for those of us currently living in D.C.

William Howland, director of D.C. Department of Public Works, joked he was “counting” on a winter with a small amount of snow. He reported that DPW has enough of the salt and beet juice used to keep snow and ice off the roads this winter. Howland also reported that DPW will now use pet-safe products to melt ice on sidewalks, although its effectiveness is unknown because it hasn’t been used before. “We’ll see how it works on those first couple storms, and then if it works we’ll continue to use it,” he said. “It’s vastly more expensive than the rock salt, but if it works we’ll continue to use it.”