Last  week, while getting really, really  pumped for winter weather, Vox saw an inauguration, the Hoyas clinch victory over Louisville, and J.J. debut his new balloon-popping routine. Here’s what Vox‘s never-failing commenters had to say last week.

Lobbying in the interest of canines everywhere Fairy Dogmother was skeptical of J.J.’s balloon trick:

Is nobody else worried about J.J. and this obvious choking hazard??

Probably not, a dog as well-connected as J.J. most likely has a stunt double … or a replacement.

In response to the GU Fossil Free‘s siege of President DeGioia’s office yawn, ever the cynic, said:

Another day, another protest by the same group of people. This seems like it’s a hobby at this point. Some people knit sweaters, some play the trumpet, some chant and hold up angry signs outside Healy. Whatever floats your boat, man.

GTR followed by saying:

“A recently formed group of students.” I hope to God they treated DeGioia’s receptionist with respect. Who was present for this photo opp?

Vox hopes that if these  ”leisure  protestors” are as experienced as yawn claims, they at least have a working knowledge of  proper sit-in etiquette.

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Photos: Camilla Moscoso (slides 1-5), Courtesy Fr. Christopher Steck (slide 6), Miles Gavin Meng (slide 7), and Courtesy Sydney Browning (slide 8)

Om nom?

As Georgetown is blanketed in the fluffy white stuff for the first time in months, students unaccustomed to winter weather will be tempted to catch snowflakes on their tongues. While proscriptions against eating yellow snow have become cliché (because duh), no one seems to know if eating snow at all is safe. Vox did some digging and there doesn’t seem to be a clear answer.

The two chief concerns center around chemical pollutants trapped in the water and bacteria in the particulates, namely Pseudomonas syringae, which is a pathogen that affects plants.

Naturally, Canada seems to have the most authoritative answer. The Canada Safety Council wrote in 2009 that the P. syringae is present in similar levels in snow across the world. While it’s not good to eat, it’s not dangerous either. After all, you eat bacteria on a daily basis (pretty much every time you eat). The CSC went on to recommend that children not “make a meal” out of the snow, though a few flakes won’t hurt anybody.

The story with pollutants is even more unclear. The upper atmosphere is exceedingly good at mixing up pollutants—so much so that airborne chemicals from India can be found in snow on the ground in Northern Canada days later, so it’s not the case that rural snow is safe whereas urban snow isn’t. Will Sommer at Washington City Paper asked Donna Henry, a spokeswoman at D.C.’s Department of the Environment, if eating local snow is safe. Unfortunately, the District government doesn’t keep tabs on the chemical contamination of snow. They only test runoff after the snow is melted. Henry did venture to say that the snow is safe from acid rain but not necessarily other pollutants: “I think, of course, there’s some degree of pollution in the snow,” she said.

So it seems nothing is terribly harmful in freshly fallen snow. Just don’t hydrate yourself that way.

h/t City Desk

Photo:Christopher Szurgot

Snow over Village A rooftops

Update, 12:45 pm: Expecting more snow, Public Works is sending out plows again tonight in anticipation of Friday’s “storm.” They will focus on residential streets this time, instead of heavily trafficked roads. The DPW press release expects one to two inches. Capital Weather Gang, on the other hand, expects much less: “A weak—emphasis on weak—storm system will pass to our south Friday, probably producing a short period of light snow.” Take it as you will.

Update, 3:00 am: Looks like the forecasters were right: Persistent flurries began at about midnight, and, by Vox‘s measurement, accumulation had reached one-fourth of an inch by 2:30 a.m. Georgetown’s salting of roads and pathways seemed to be working as well, though not completely uniformly. Vox isn’t sure what all the hoopla was about. It’s also supposed to snow lightly again Friday evening.

Original Post: Well, it looks like we’re at the point where any snow at all qualifies as news. Tonight’s forecasted dusting won’t accumulate to more than two inches, but, like the last time Vox reported on weather emergencies, the Department of Public Works and District Department of Transportation “will deploy about 190 plows that will be on their routes at 10 p.m. tonight,” according to a press release. Unlike last time, however, the Weather Channel says there is a 80 percent chance of snow overnight. Also, unlike last week, it’s certainly cold enough for any snow to stick.

“Unlike previous snow events this season, roadway temperatures are well below freezing,” said William Howland Jr., Director of D.C.’s Department of Public Works, “so snow likely will be on the ground when the morning rush hour gets underway.” Vox knows that if we post about it, we’ll jinx it, so just pretend you never read this.

In addition, D.C.’s recent cold snap has put the homeless population at increased risk of hypothermia. If you see a homeless person in need of help, call the hypothermia/hyperthermia hotline at (800) 535-7252.

Photo: Connor Jones

…but probably not.

Update, 2:00 pm: As the day progresses, weather forecasts are predicting lower and lower chances of any precipitation at all, let alone snow. Even so, the District government is still bracing for a blizzard, and Department of Public Works trucks have been dispatched to salt the roads. Capital Weather Gang is now saying that any winter weather will start later this afternoon won’t accumulate. Washington, D.C. will likely continue its longest period without at least 2 inches of snowfall on record.

Original Post:The National Weather Service (the people who write the CAPSLOCK WEATHER BULLETINS) have placed the District under a winter storm watch beginning early Thursday morning and ending the subsequent evening.

According to them, a rain-snow mixture will start in the D.C. area late tonight which will turn completely into snow as the day progresses. The system could produce as many as four inches of snow.

Other weather outlets are not as optimistic (depending on your perspective). Weather.com is only forecasting a rain-snow shower mix and temperatures in the high 30s.

Capital Weather Gang at The Washington Post give the NWS’s scenario only a 10 percent possibility of occurring: “Our opinion is that [the NWS bulletin] is premature and overdone, and that current available information does not support this forecast.”

Instead, they give a 45 percent chance of snow accumulations of 1 inch or more:

The compact storm will have plenty of moisture with it. The big questions for our area are: 1) how far north will the precipitation shield get? and 2) will it extend far enough north to deliver moderate to heavy snow? If the latter occurs, accumulating snow becomes likely and roads during Thurday afternoon’s rush hour could become slick and hazardous.

Vox will be hoping against hope for a mass email from the University cancelling classes. Until that happens, enjoy the cold and not-snow.

Photo: Matthew Funk

Liberal leave: it’s better than nothing.

Looks like East Campus residents are stuck huddling together in Lauinger or Sellinger Lounge for a while.

In an email sent to East Campus residents at 8:30 p.m., Executive Director of Student Housing Patrick Killilee announced that PEPCO  plans to restore power with a generator, but has been delayed by the snow storm that hit the D.C. area earlier today.

“Facilities staff remain on campus throughout the night to continue working with PEPCO as soon as they arrive on campus,” he wrote. “This will take several hours to be delivered and installed.  In the mean time, Lauinger and Sellinger Lounge have power and are available for your use.”

According to Nevils residents, the outage began at approximately noon. The University’s initial response to the outage? Distributing flashlights.

A number of options are available for students displaced by the power outage, wrote Killilee. Aside from staying with friends, he suggested that students take advantage of temporary housing in other parts of campus, or borrow an air mattress from the University.

[Editor's Note: I got an email from Housing earlier this evening offering up an empty room in my apartment for emergency housing. I live in Nevils.]

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A power outage in East Campus that began this afternoon has yet to be fixed, according to East Campus Hall Director Billy Colona.

“At this time, neither I nor Housing have any information on the restoration of power or what actually caused it,” Colona wrote in an email to Nevils residents at 4 p.m.

The University has taken steps to help students during the outage, which has coincided with D.C.’s first major snow storm of the year. Residents can pick up flashlights—one per apartment—at the East Campus RHO or through their Resident Assistants. Facilities plans to install a light tower in the LXR courtyard this evening.

In a later email, Colona suggested that residents visit Sellinger Lounge, Leo’s, Lauinger Library, and Yates Field House to enjoy light and heat.

Freezing your ass off because of the outage? Looking for a warm place to stay? Let us know in the comments.

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According to a University Broadcast, classes that begin after 2:40 p.m. today are canceled.

Our friends over at Washington Post‘s Capital Weather Gang are predicting four to eight inches of snow tonight, so be sure to keep refreshing that operating status page tonight.

Got any ideas for a lame snow-related pun for the storm? Let us know in the comments.

Complaining about Monday classes? Well, Vox doesn’t blame you, but the D.C. media and their readers are complaining about you.

That’s right, upon hearing about Georgetown’s earnest Facebook efforts to protest the administration’s decision to bag our Presidents’ Day holiday, NBC Washington and Wonkette commenced with the mocking.

“Cranky Georgetown Students Protest Monday Classes; Georgetown ruins snow days. And won’t someone PLEASE think of the founding fathers?” was the headline of NBC’s Carissa DiMargo’s stinging brief about our Facebook group and general displeasure over the snow day.”

“We get it, kiddos — a lot of you had already made travel plans,” she writes. “But let’s be honest. Are you reeeeally trying to ‘Protect Our National Holiday!’ as the name of the group suggests?

“Yep, won’t someone just think of the founding fathers for a change? The founding fathers WANT these students to have off from class! Jeez!”

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