Being from Illinois, Sen. Richard J. Durbin is used to heavy snowfall.

The long-serving Democrat has been known to take jabs at Washington, D.C., and its inability to handle a few flakes.

So when HOH was reporting from the CQ Roll Call weather desk this week, we naturally reached out to the Senate majority whip’s office to ask what it thought of the frenzy the city was whipping itself into surrounding the snowstorm that was heading our way.

Durbin Communications Director Max Gleischman had this to say on Tuesday (emphasis our own):

“It is currently 51 degrees and sunny in Washington. We’ll address our D.C. office status if/when it actually starts to snow. Until then, everyone should get a grip. Chicago is currently being hit with the biggest show storm of the season and our [district] office is open.”

Well, it seems Durbin’s D.C. office was not as tough as its Chicago counterpart.

An eagle-eyed tipster spotted signs taped to Durbin’s Hart Senate Office Building doors announcing that the office was closed “due to inclement weather.”

Gleischman said the senator and many staffers are in the office and working but that the front office in Hart is closed for the day because of the snow.

“If only Chicago Streets and San were in charge of keeping roads clear in D.C. … While our front office in Hart is closed, the office is open,” Gleischman told HOH via email. “We’re staffed and working out of the Capitol. Meetings will be taken in both offices all day. In fact, I’m sitting at my desk right now looking at the green grass on the National Mall.”