Author: Tim Regan

National Guard Rescues Stranded Fire Truck Near Courthouse

By Tim Regan

What happens when a fire truck gets stuck in the snow? They call in the Virginia National Guard.

A Virginia National Guard “tank hauler” recovery vehicle towed a fire engine that was stuck in the snow on the 1200 block of North Veitch Street around 3 p.m. this afternoon.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe called 535 National Guard personnel to active duty when he declared a state of emergency ahead of the snowstorm on Thursday.

According to scanner traffic, several emergency vehicles have asked for help digging out of the snow throughout the afternoon.

Snow Much Fun: How Arlington Braved the Blizzard to Play

By Tim Regan

Snow fun on Jan. 23

Despite heavy snowfall and gusty winds, lots of locals managed to leave the house and have fun today.

From urban skiing to makeshift luges, here’s how some Arlington residents found a way to play:

https://twitter.com/iFirebrand/status/690941238648901632

https://twitter.com/adubyailkinson/status/690940404221345792

https://twitter.com/Arlingwoman/status/690943053733978112

https://twitter.com/MrTimRegan/status/690950226484576257

https://twitter.com/Blacknell/status/690955616727273472

Do anything fun today? What do you see out there? We want to hear from you. Tweet at us or send us an e-mail. We will provide live updates as the storm progresses today.

Traffic Update: Roads Buried in Snow as Winter Storm Rages On

By Tim Regan
1/10

Most roads throughout the region are currently buried in snow and ice as snowflakes continue to fall.

Residents are being strongly urged by Virginia’s Department of Transportation (VDOT) to stay off the road unless absolutely necessary, but it seems like many across the area are heeding that advice.

Normally busy streets across Arlington have been virtually devoid of cars all morning. Though some people have ventured out into the snow and ice — two drivers were spotted struggling to climb a hill on Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn earlier this morning — many appear to have stayed home.

Those that do drive, expectedly, are running into trouble. According to scanner traffic, a few cars have gotten struck on treacherous roads throughout the area, including one emergency vehicle.

What are you seeing out there? We want to hear from you. Tweet at us or send us an e-mail. We will provide live updates as the storm progresses today.

Arlington Wakes Up to Foot of Snow and Counting

By Tim Regan

Cars stuck in snow on Wilson blvd

More than a foot of snow has already fallen across the Arlington area, according to the National Weather Service. And it’s only going to get worse.

Wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour, whiteout conditions and up to another foot of snowfall are possible through late tonight, says the Capital Weather Gang.

According to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), most roads throughout the area are in “moderate to severe” condition, meaning that a layer of snow or ice partially or fully covers the roadway. VDOT added that workers in Northern Virginia will attempt to clear interstates, high-volume roads and subdivisions throughout the day.

Residents are being strongly urged to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. Most seem to be heeding the advice, as traffic is nearly nonexistent even on normally busy roads in Ballston. Still, some people are making a go of it, despite VDOT’s advice. A pair of drivers were observed struggling to climb a hill on Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn around 7:30 a.m. this morning.

Though the snowy conditions thwarted drivers across the area, Dominion has not reported any widespread power outages throughout the area since the blizzard began.

Here’s what some other ARLNow readers reported on Twitter throughout the night and early this morning:

https://twitter.com/MrTimRegan/status/690889848597671936

https://twitter.com/dcheatherc/status/690876929608646656

What are you seeing out there? We want to hear from you. Tweet at us or send us an e-mail. We will provide live updates as the storm progresses today.

Road Conditions Worsen as Blizzard Arrives

By Tim Regan
1/4

Don’t drive.

That’s the message from Virginia’s Department of Transportation (VDOT) as a possibly record-breaking blizzard looms over the area. Most roads in Arlington were at least partially snow-covered as of 4:50 p.m. this afternoon, and conditions are only getting worse as the snow piles up.

So far, locals seem to be heeding VDOT’s advice. As of 4:30 p.m. today, there were 19 crashes and 60 disabled vehicles reported by the department among Prince William, Loudoun, Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax counties since midnight last night.

But the full brunt of the storm has not arrived yet, according to the Capital Weather Gang. Conditions are expected to worsen overnight and into tomorrow morning as snowfall becomes heavier and winds pick up.

Naked Man Rescued From Cold Near Pentagon Row

By Tim Regan

Nude man on Army Navy DriveA man startled some locals when he was seen walking naked along a street near Pentagon Row yesterday afternoon.

Drivers spotted the man at the intersection of Army Navy Drive and Joyce Street around 1:30 p.m. yesterday, according to police. Authorities initially received a call for a “naked male walking in cold weather talking to himself,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

Temperatures hovered close to freezing throughout the day yesterday.

An officer who arrived on the scene determined that the man was “in need of mental health treatment,” and the man was transported to Virginia Hospital Center for help.

Photo by an Arlington resident

Morning Notes

By Tim Regan

Red sky at morning

Brace Yourselves — Latest predictions say the snow is set to start as early as noon today, which happens to be the same time federal offices in D.C. and the surrounding area are expected to close. [Capital Weather Gang]

Blizzard Closures — Metro will cease all service at 11 p.m. tonight. Federal government and Arlington County offices across the area close at noon. Arlington public schools will be closed today, and all weekend activities are cancelled. [Metro, Washington Post, APS, Arlington County]

Snow Tips — The area is bracing for a potentially historic blizzard. Here’s what you need to know to ride out the storm. [ARLNow]

Community Radio Station ‘Off and Running’ — Arlington’s community-run radio station, WERA, is off to a good start, says its director of community programs. The station, which is at 96.7 FM, is adding new programs weekly. [InsideNova]

Arlington Artist Q&A — Meet Javier Padilla, a local artist who paints abstract portraits. [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Photo by Mark C. White

Morning Notes

By Tim Regan

Construction site in the snow

‘Carmageddon’ Grips Local Roads — It’s crazy what one inch of snow can do to unsalted roads. Hundreds of drivers slid, stopped and slammed into each other across  area roads last night and early this morning. Multiple commuters told us it took hours to get home. [ARLNow, FOX 5, CBS 6, Washington Post]

Traffic Study Reveals I-66 Problems — Ever wondered why I-66 is a mess sometimes? A new study supporting a plan for high-occupancy toll lanes may help shed light on why. Though that answer to that question is complicated, the study did reveal one thing: HOV rules have a large impact on traffic. [Washington Post]

Shovel That Walk, It’s The Law — Did you know you’re required to clear public sidewalks adjacent to your property? If not, you might want to brush up on the rules before this weekend’s snowstorm. [Arlington County]

Gov. McAuliffe Declares State of Emergency — Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has declared a state of emergency for Virginia in response to the winter storm expected to slam the region tomorrow and Saturday. [ARLNow]

Arrowine’s ‘Ladies of the Vine’ Cancelled — The event is cancelled due to the looming snowstorm. [ARLNow]

Gov. McAuliffe Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Snowstorm

By Tim Regan

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has declared a state of emergency for Virginia in response to the winter storm expected to slam the region tomorrow and Saturday.

McAuliffe declared the state of emergency around 8 a.m. this morning to allow Virginia businesses, residents and officials to prepare for the impending snow, and urged them to prepare right away.

“Keeping Virginians safe in the event of severe weather is our top concern – that is why Virginia began preparing for severe winter weather yesterday by ordering more than 500 vehicles out to pretreat roads in Northern Virginia,” McAuliffe said in a press release. “All Virginians should take the threat of this storm seriously and take necessary precautions now to ensure they are prepared for travel disruptions and possible power outages during a cold weather period.”

The storm is expected to bring double-digit snowfall and wind gusts up to roughly 40 miles per hour Friday and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. About an inch of snowfall snarled traffic and caused dozens of accidents across the area last night.

Virginia officials issued the following tips for staying safe during the storm (after the jump). (more…)

APS Cancels School Due to Weather Concerns

By Tim Regan

Car hits a stuck school bus at S. Joyce and 23rd Street. No children were on board.

Arlington County Public Schools will be closed today, Thursday, Jan. 21.

Why the closure? Last night’s nightmare traffic conditions might have something to do with it.

Additionally, slick roads have refrozen and are not in good condition this morning, according to The Virginia Department of Transportation.

From APS:

All APS Schools will be closed and offices will open at noon. Essential personnel should report to work at their scheduled time. Extracurricular activities, interscholastic games, team practices, field trips, adult education classes, and programs in schools and on school grounds are canceled.

VDOT is urging motorists who must head out to use extreme caution, as low ground temperatures overnight mean that even treated roads have refrozen.

“Slow down, allow extra time to destinations, and take extra care on areas prone to freezing such as bridges, ramps and secondary roads,” VDOT said in a statement.

About 500 trucks worked through the night to clear extremely treacherous conditions, said VDOT. Crews will remain on duty through the morning rush hour to continually treat slick roads.

Drivers are reminded to check www.511virginia.org for road conditions and to follow @VaDOTNOVA on Twitter.

File photo

Snow Flurries Snarl Traffic Across Arlington

By Tim Regan

ARL Traffic

If this was a test run for this weekend’s snowstorm, we didn’t fare well.

Though a thin coating of snow fell across the Arlington area, many drivers found that roads were slick at best, treacherous at worst. Traffic piled up across the county as early as 7 p.m. this evening, and plenty of drivers told us they encountered unsalted, untreated roads.

“Skid fest on Rosslyn hill,” said one reader. “It seems Arlington failed to treat the roads for tonight and an ice layer built on the surface of the road, uphill Rosslyn.”

Another wrote us earlier tonight and said: “The ground is frozen solid.  The weather forecasts all predicted an inch or so of snow this evening.  Why weren’t the roads treated?”

Here’s a snippet of what some other ARLNow readers reported on Twitter throughout the night:

https://twitter.com/allisonlwallach/status/689981131496779777

https://twitter.com/tweedyBard/status/689982908988260353

https://twitter.com/KRiffert/status/689988958718132224

https://twitter.com/kevin_byrne12/status/689991687754637312

https://twitter.com/dpmckenzie/status/689991682855694336

https://twitter.com/T2Va/status/689998820235698176

https://twitter.com/momactivist/status/690001643727904770

Did you drive through the ice and snow? We want to hear from you. Tweet at us or send us an e-mail.

Photo via Michael Thomas

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