No promises from Gray on snow efforts

At the D.C Department of Public Works salt dome in Northeast Washington, Mayor Vincent C. Gray was pelted with sleet the size of small rocks Wednesday afternoon as he briefed reporters on the city's efforts to prepare for the storm.

Gray, who was sworn in Jan. 2 and is facing his first potential substantial snowfall as mayor, said crews would work through the night to try to have major thoroughfares passable by Thursday morning.

"We are going to do the best we can," said Gray, adding that he's striving for an "A plus" from the 200 snowplows and salt spreaders that will hit city streets.

During last year's back-to-back blizzards in February, former Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) was criticized for setting unrealistic expectations about how quickly crews can get the city back to normal after a big storm.

Gray, however, wouldn't make any promises about what streets would look like for the morning rush.

"It's hard to know," Gray said as a succession of snowplows were being loaded with salt. "We don't know what the accumulation will be and, secondly, we don't know about ice."

William O. Howland Jr., director of the Department of Public Works, said that as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, officials had decided not to declare a snow emergency, which would require residents to move their cars from major routes.

But Howland said officials will be assessing the storm throughout the night, so resident should keep up with media reports.

Gray said he and school officials most likely will not make a decision on whether to close city schools or delay openings until 5 a.m. Thursday.