As snow moved toward the Washington, D.C., area Wednesday morning, federal workers were given the option of leaving early from work with unscheduled leave to prepare for the accumulation and get ahead of the afternoon commute.

Alerts from Fairfax and Arlington counties said federal workers could use annual leave, earned timed off or credit hours, leave without pay or telecommute to prepare for the weather. Essential and emergency employees should report to work as usual, the alerts said.

The early notification is part of Office of Personnel Management's efforts to give more time for workers to make decisions about how they'll deal with potential weather emergencies, the Washington Post reported.

Snow estimates range from a half-inch to up to 3 inches in areas north and west of the district, the Capital Weather Gang is predicting.

The snow will start in the westernmost suburbs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and move east, with the heaviest accumulation occurring between 3 and 7 p.m.

Check Patch throughout the day for weather, road and traffic updates.