Arlington — and much of the D.C. region — is now officially under a Winter Storm Watch.
The watch was issued just before 3 p.m. Forecasters are calling for up to 5 inches of accumulating snow, but 1-3 inches is most likely, according to the National Weather Service.
Gusty winds will accompany the storm and, paired with the snowfall, could fell tree branches and cause another bout of power outages.
From NWS:
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
251 PM EST Fri Jan 14 2022…WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING…
* WHAT…Significant snow and wintry precipitation possible. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches are most likely, with up to 5 inches possible. Ice accumulations of up to one tenth of an inch are possible. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph.
* WHERE…The District of Columbia, portions of central and northern Maryland, and central and northern Virginia.
* WHEN…From Sunday afternoon through Monday morning.
* IMPACTS…Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Monday morning commute.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Snow may fall at 1 to 3 inches per hour late Sunday afternoon and early Sunday evening, resulting in nearly impassable roads.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
Monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation.
Ahead of the storm, which is expected to have more severe impacts west of the D.C. area, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam today declared a state of emergency.
“We expect this storm to have a significant impact in many parts of Virginia,” Northam said in a statement. “Declaring a state of emergency now allows our emergency responders to prepare, and to move supplies and equipment where they expect to need them the most. This also gives Governor-elect Youngkin the ability to respond to any storm needs swiftly. I urge Virginians to take this storm seriously and make preparations now.”
Arlington County and VDOT crews, meanwhile, have been pre-treating roads in advance of the winter weather, which is expected to start as snow Saturday afternoon before transitioning to sleet, freezing rain and then plain rain.
We can't rule out power outages Sunday night, especially in our western areas due to 30-40 mph wind gusts + snow/ice on tree limbs. Up to 0.25" ice in some spots. Ice map from @NWS_BaltWash pic.twitter.com/gg9dv8HDg0
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) January 14, 2022
The NWS has issued a Winter Storm Watch for all counties along and WEST of I-95, including DC, Fairfax, Arlington, Montgomery and those West. This is for Snow and Ice accumulations. I will have my updated SNOW map at 4,5 & 6 today on News4! pic.twitter.com/oIX4PTKFt1
— Doug Kammerer (@dougkammerer) January 14, 2022
https://twitter.com/VaDOTNOVA/status/1482081483644973059