A Slushy February

Washington responds to 'wintry mix.'

FIRST IT WAS going to be a snowstorm. Then the area's weather gurus predicted an ice storm. It turned out to be a little bit of both. Washington's most disruptive weather emergency since the deluge the area had to endure last June left thousands without power, commuters facing annoying delays and federal employees leaving their offices early and coming in late. There was at least one weather-related death -- a teenager was killed in western Loudoun County when part of a tree fell on her.

Whether you had to shovel your own path to the Metro or hitch a ride on the back of a neighbor's four-wheel-drive pickup to get to work, chances are that at least part of your day yesterday was cold, slow and unpleasant -- and today may not be much better. Still, the District in particular seemed to have averted a significant city shutdown yesterday, even if many roads were not clear for rush hour.

Though the region did not have to suffer through the whitewash that upstate New York and New England got this week, the melange of icy rain and snow that meteorologists euphemistically call "wintry mix" bedeviled emergency planners, area transportation officials reported. Tuesday night, the D.C. Transportation Department focused on treating streets with chemicals, anticipating slick roads but not much snow. Then significant amounts of snow fell unexpectedly in a short period overnight. Early yesterday morning, city officials decided to begin more snow-clearing operations, leaving many major roads covered with a slushy mixture of melted ice, damp snow and de-icing agents for the beginning of rush hour. City officials stand by their decision-making: While frustrating for drivers and pedestrians, at least the slush wasn't dangerous ice.

Regional public transportation, meanwhile, had problems in the morning and later, both related and unrelated to the weather. For the most part, Metrorail operated normally after de-icing trains ran on the rails overnight, but a number of Metro buses got stuck in the road sludge during the early-morning rush hour. Tens of thousands in Prince George's and Anne Arundel lost power.

Weather services could be better. The District's new online map, which is designed to continually update residents on road conditions and will be a valuable feature if it ever works, was less than reliable. Snowplows could have been out on the streets sooner. And the region's sidewalks were dangerously unkempt, even in supposedly pedestrian-friendly downtown Washington.