Snow Panic In Arlington!

It's 4:30 pm, 40 degrees and still not a drop of precipitation, but Arlington County has already shut down everything in anticipation of a snowstorm not likely to get underway (at least in frozen form) until late tonight.

Why do they do these things? Is it all the hype the weather forecasters are giving the storm?

If anyone had consulted an expert (or even the weather radar and a thermometer) they would know that (1) it's way too warm for snow right now; (2) the roads are quite warm; and (3) the roads are all already covered with salt from the last storm. Therefore, it's quite unlikely that there will be any accumulation on road surfaces before much later tonight--probably after 10 p.m., or more likely, midnight.

Why not go ahead with scheduled INDOOR activities? Too cautious.