When the weather outside is frightful this winter, the Office of Personnel Management doesn't want to leave federal employees wondering for long whether they'll have to go into work.

OPM Director John Berry on Thursday pledged to decide by 4 a.m. or earlier whether he will close the government's Washington-area offices, delay their opening, or allow employees to take unscheduled leave due to snowstorms. Berry said he's heard complaints that OPM is too slow to respond to snowstorms and he doesn't want employees to brave dangerous, snowy roads in the morning only to have to turn back around after their offices are declared closed.

Berry said he won't make these decisions lightly. His first priority, he said, is to ensure the safety of the public and of federal employees. But he also has to take costs into account — the government loses $102 million each day it closes all Washington-area offices, which it hasn't done since a February 2003 storm dumped more than a foot of snow on the capital.

And weather forecasters say there could be increasing opportunities for offices to be closed this winter.

Chris Strong, a warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service told reporters that warm humid air from the Southeast United States and the Gulf Coast — fueled by El Nino — could produce more storms on the East Coast.

"If we have more storms tracking across the southern tier of the U.S. and more moisture, it means we have more seeds for these big wintertime blizzards to affect the Washington area," Strong said.

And it doesn't take feet of snow to create dangerous conditions. A few hundredths of an inch of ice can turn roads dangerously slippery and cause crashes, Strong said.

"People in Washington, D.C., may not be the best drivers," said Dean Hunter, deputy associate director of OPM's Center for Security and Emergency Actions. "In inclement weather situations, traffic accidents and serious injuries are more likely under those types of conditions."

When possible snow is forecast, Berry said OPM will begin consulting at 3:30 a.m. or earlier with the National Weather Service, local transportation departments, police and emergency departments, school districts and other local governments to make public safety decisions. OPM will consider how much ice and snow Washington is likely to get; how capable local governments are to clear, sand or salt the roads; and whether Metro trains, buses and other public transportation will be able to operate. OPM officials will also review how it responded to similar forecasts in the past.

If a snowstorm strikes during the workday requiring OPM to send employees home, OPM will try to give local governments two hours' advance notice so they can switch traffic lights to rush-hour patterns and make other preparations.

"Many people think the OPM director wakes up at three in the morning, sticks his head out of the window, and says, ‘Are we a go, or a no-go?' " Berry said. "Nothing could be further from the truth. There is an incredible amount of engagement of professionals from across the region that are involved in teeing up this decision."

OPM said individual agencies will decide on their own whether to have eligible employees telework from home during a snowstorm.

Berry said Federal Executive Boards across the country decide whether to close federal offices outside of the Washington area, and he expects they will follow the same pattern.