ACR CAPT RPTS QUESTIONABLE WX FORECASTING TO ALLEGEDLY ALLOW FLTS TO DEPART WITH LESS FUEL.

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JUST PAST DEN NOTICED OUR DEST WX STARTED TO GO DOWN HARD. OCCNL 1/4 MILES VISIBILITY IN HEAVY SNOW; VRBL TO 10 MILES MOSTLY 1-3 MILES. QUERIED DISPATCH AS TO WHEN THE FORECAST WAS GOING TO BE AMENDED AND THEY SAID IT WASN'T PLANNING ON IT SINCE THE LOW VISIBILITY WAS JUST OCCASIONAL. THIS WX PERIOD LASTED WELL OVER 3 HOURS!!! QUERIED AGAIN LATER AND DISPATCH NEVER EVEN ANSWERED. GOT TO IAD JUST AS THE WX CLEARED A BIT AND LANDED IN CHAOS. PLANES SCATTERED EVERYWHERE; JETS WAITING FOR NON-EXISTENT DE-ICE CREWS; RAMP FREQUENCY OVERLOADED WITH FRUSTRATED CREWS; EVERY PAX WISHING THEY HAD NOT FLOWN OUR AIRLINE. OBVIOUSLY MANAGEMENT ARRIVED AT WORK WITH A BLINDFOLD ON; AGAIN. ONCE AGAIN THE FOLKS AT IAD SAID THAT THIS WAS A FREAK STORM AND THEY HAD NO IDEA IT WAS COMING IN. THIS EXCUSE IS GETTING VERY OLD. THE WX WAS THERE!!! GUESS WHAT FOLKS; IT SNOWS IN WINTER. USING AN OUTSOURCED; LOWEST COST; WX SERVICE TO BASE OUR DAILY OPERATIONAL PLAN IS COSTING US DEARLY. EVEN WHEN THE WX IS OBVIOUSLY POOR; A REFUSAL TO AMEND THE FORECAST IS GROSS NEGLIGENCE AT BEST AND THE DISPATCH FOLKS WHO SENT RELEASES TO CREWS THAT WERE HEADING INTO THE DC AREA SHOULD HAVE CERTIFICATE ACTION INITIATED BY THE FAA. THEY CAN USE THE LAME EXCUSE THAT THEY 'LEGALLY' DISPATCHED THE PLANES WITH THE FORECASTED WX; BUT THE REFUSAL TO FORCE A WX UPDATE TO REFLECT THE KNOWN WX CONDITIONS IS WANTON BEHAVIOR; THAT IF CONDONED WILL RESULT IN THE LOSS OF AIRCRAFT IN THE FUTURE. IT PLACES A BURDEN ON THE REST OF US HAVING TO FLYING LONG APCHS FOR ALL THE JETS THAT HAVE BEEN DISPATCHED WITH VFR FUEL INTO KNOWN IFR WX. OUR EXTRA FUEL GETS BURNED UP QUICKLY AND THEN ALL THE JETS ARE SUDDENLY 'MIN FUEL'. AS A PROFESSIONAL AIRLINE PLT I DEMAND THE BEST INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO SAFELY PLAN MY FLT FOR MY PAX. ANYTHING LESS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. IF THE TRUST BETWEEN THE JOINTLY RESPONSIBLE PLTS AND DISPATCHERS IS BROKEN; THEN MY JOB AS A CAPT BECOMES EVEN MORE DIFFICULT. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO SECOND GUESS THE DISPATCHER AS TO WHETHER I AM GETTING THE BEST INFO; OR THE CHEAPEST INFO; IE: WOULD AN ALTERNATE BE SMART; OR IS LACK OF AN ALTERNATE A COST MEASURE?