Workforce

OPM calls for 2-hour delayed opening in DC on Thursday

Wet roads and freezing overnight temperatures prompted the Office of Personnel Management to delay the opening of federal agencies in the D.C. area.

Jason Miller@jmillerWFED

March 21, 2018 10:21 pm

2 min read

The Office of Personnel Management is telling federal employees in the Washington, D.C. area to arrive to work on Thursday two hours later than usual.

OPM announced the delayed arrival Wednesday night. Federal employees also have the ability to take unscheduled leave or telework.

OPM’s decision comes after several school systems around the immediate D.C. area delayed opening and many in the outlying areas closed altogether.

A winter storm warning was in effect until 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to WTOP, Federal News Radio’s sister station. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared a snow emergency for the District, which remains in effect until 7 a.m. Thursday.

Treated main roads in the area will likely remain wet through Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, but secondary and side roads may be slippery.

Along with OPM’s decision, several Federal Executive Boards along the East Coast also are recommending delayed openings or closing federal offices.

The Baltimore FEB said it is recommending agencies in its area open at 10 a.m. on Thursday.

The Philadelphia FEB is recommending that agencies open on time Thursday and offer unscheduled telework and leave. The FEB says some agencies individually decided to delay their opening, given their individual situation.

The Boston FEB recommends agencies open on time, but recommended offering unscheduled telework or leave.

The Washington metropolitan area received between three-to-seven inches of snow during Wednesday’s late-March storm, WTOP reported.

OPM announced early Wednesday morning its plans to close federal offices in the Washington, D.C. metro region. It was the second time OPM had closed the region’s offices this winter after shuttering agencies earlier this month due to high winds. OPM delayed the opening of federal offices in the D.C. area because of winter weather two other times this year.