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D.C. region under hypothermia alert Monday night

WASHINGTON — Winter weather Monday night and into Tuesday morning is expected to reach life-threatening temperatures and wind chill, and localities are activating hypothermia programs.

Typically between November and March, people who need shelter from dangerous weather have access to warming centers, homeless shelters and emergency housing.

In D.C., “low barrier” shelters allow anyone entry regardless of whether they’re on a waiting list, participating in a program or otherwise getting city services.

To alert authorities someone may be at risk and needs help, calling 311 works in D.C., Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

Arlington County has 25 winter hypothermia prevention beds in its new Homeless Services Center that opened last fall.

In Fairfax County, 55 emergency sites include mostly churches, synagogues, and mosques, where people also can be offered county services.

Last winter, hundreds of people seeking to escape the cold in Fairfax County received county services to help them work toward self-sufficiency.

Sixty-four were able to transition into housing, according to the county website.

When DC froze: Remembering ‘Snowmageddon’ 10 years later

Mountains of snow buried the tarmac at Washington's Reagan National Airport. Sightseers used skis to slide through a snowy National Mall. Snow drifts piled up to the White House's windows. Ten years ago, D.C. bore the brunt of what came to be called Snowmageddon — one of the most severe winter storms in capital weather history. Between 1 and 3 feet of snow fell from Feb. 5 to Feb. 6, 2010: Flights at Reagan ground to a halt under 17.8 inches of snow — tame compared with Dulles, which saw over 32 inches.
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