The National Weather Service is warning that falling temperatures overnight may cause Monday’s rain to freeze and become Tuesday morning’s ice.
The refreeze could make the morning commute treacherous. From NWS:
… SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT WILL CAUSE UNTREATED SURFACES TO RE-FREEZE…
TEMPERATURES WILL BE FALLING STEADILY OVERNIGHT BEHIND A COLD FRONT. OVERNIGHT LOWS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE UPPER 20S AND LOWER 30S ACROSS THE REGION BY THE PREDAWN HOURS. A STEADY BREEZE FROM THE NORTH WILL DRY OUT SOME SURFACE AREAS LATE TONIGHT. HOWEVER… ANY STANDING WATER LEFTOVER ON UNTREATED SURFACES IS EXPECTED TO FREEZE.
DRY AND COLD NORTH WINDS WILL REMAIN OVER THE AREA INTO THE MORNING HOURS ON TUESDAY… KEEPING TEMPERATURES NEARLY LOCKED INTO NEAR FREEZING RANGE. BE ALERT FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF PATCHES OF ICE WHILE DRIVING OVERNIGHT AND DURING THE MORNING COMMUTE ON TUESDAY.
Arlington Public Schools has yet to announce any sort of delay Monday, despite concerns about freezing rain.
ABC 7 meteorologist Steve Rudin doesn’t think that’s such a good idea.
Over the course of several tweets Sunday night, Rudin reprimanded APS for not making an early delay call, like the federal government and numerous local school systems.
APS says it will wait until the early morning to make a final decision.
Arlington and other local school systems were criticized for not delaying school last Tuesday when snow was in the forecast; the snow turned out to be heavier than expected, causing major travel delays and numerous crashes.
Arlington County and much of the D.C. region is now under a Freezing Rain Advisory.
Forecasters say a period of light freezing rain is possible tomorrow morning, making travel hazardous.
From the National Weather Service:
… FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM EST MONDAY…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON HAS ISSUED A FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY… WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM EST MONDAY.
* PRECIPITATION TYPE… FREEZING RAIN.
* ACCUMULATIONS… LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE.
* TIMING… PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST LATE THIS EVENING. FREEZING RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS… EVENTUALLY BECOMING PLAIN RAIN BY MONDAY MORNING.
* TEMPERATURES… IN THE LOWER 30S.
* WINDS… SOUTH 5 TO 10 MPH.
* IMPACTS… A THIN GLAZE OF ICE COULD FORM ON UNTREATED ROADS… SIDEWALKS… AND VEHICLES. DUE TO THE RECENT COLD WAVES… SOME SURFACES MAY BECOME ICY EVEN WITH AN AIR TEMPERATURE SLIGHTLY ABOVE FREEZING. TYPICALLY SHADED AREAS… AS WELL AS BRIDGES… WILL BE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO ICING. THE MORNING COMMUTE WILL BE IMPACTED.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF FREEZING RAIN OR FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS. SLOW DOWN AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.
Arlington County is under a Wind Chill Advisory starting at 10:00 tonight.
Wind chills will drop below zero as the temperature drops and winds gust up to 35 miles per hour, according to forecasters.
The county’s Emergency Winter Shelter in Courthouse is open all day today and is expected to remain open during the day tomorrow.
From the National Weather Service:
… WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 AM EST THURSDAY…
* WIND CHILL… ZERO TO 10 BELOW ZERO TONIGHT.
* TEMPERATURES… ZERO TO 10 ABOVE.
* WINDS… NORTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.
* IMPACTS… DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS LATE TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS… MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND GLOVES.
Water main break at N. Pershing Drive and N. Oakland Street on Jan. 6, 2015
Water main break at N. Pershing Drive and N. Oakland Street on Jan. 6, 2015
Water main break at N. Pershing Drive and N. Oakland Street on Jan. 6, 2015
Ice skaters taking advantage of a snow day at Pentagon Row
(Updated at 4:45 p.m.) The snow has stopped and the sun came out this afternoon, but the bad weather news might not be over yet with below-freezing temperatures expected tonight and tomorrow.
Arlington is continuing its efforts to clear the roads and is on Phase 3 of its snow removal process, clearing residential side streets, county staff said this afternoon.
Crews will monitor temperatures and conditions and will be “handling any re-freeze that is expected overnight and early tomorrow morning,” according to county Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Jessica Baxter.
Despite the end of the snowfall and the fallen snow beginning to melt, roads are still slick in places. According to scanner traffic, a Metrobus hit a fire hydrant near Fairlington at around 3:45 p.m.
The county pre-treated roads with brine yesterday afternoon and early this morning, but according to DES Chief Operations Engineer Dave Hundelt, via a county press release, “the pre-treatment was not enough for Tuesday’s heavier-than-expected snowfall and ice.”
“Based on the weather forecasts, our crews anticipated a much milder snow event today,” County Manager Barbara Donnellan said in a statement. “By the time it was clear that frigid temperatures were causing hazardous conditions, thousands of commuters and parents driving kids to school were already on the move. As our crews worked hard to treat and plow roads, we urged people to stay off the roads as much as possible.”
Baxter confirmed that some county vehicles were involved in traffic accidents today, but said DES wouldn’t have a final incident summary for several days. The Arlington County Police Department answered 203 calls during the storm, including 96 for traffic accidents and 65 for traffic complaints.
The Virginia Department of Transportation, which is responsible for maintaining Route 50, I-66, Washington Blvd and I-395, said road conditions are “improving” but asked drivers to exercise caution for the evening commute.
“Commuters should see some improvement on their trip home after a long and difficult commute this morning,” Branco Vlacich, VDOT assistant district administrator for maintenance in northern Virginia, said in a press release. “However, with these very cold temperatures, the salt and chemicals used are much less effective. We ask drivers to use extra caution tonight and tomorrow morning and allow extra time for their commute.”
High-use trails in the county were cleared of snow this morning, according to county Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Roberta Korzen, and crews are making a second pass-through to prevent freezing.
“Our teams were scheduled to work eight-hour shifts, but we are now changing to 12-hour shifts to remove as much snow as possible before freezing temperatures occur,” Kurt Louis, Parks and Natural Resources Division Chief, said in an email.
As if the snow itself wasn’t enough for drivers to contend with, a water main broke at around 3:00 p.m. on N. Pershing Drive and N. Oakland Street, and repairs are expected to last through the evening rush hour. Cars can still get through, but motorists should avoid the area if possible.
Water from the break and any snow melting could create serious problems if the crews can’t treat the roads, the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang warns. “Given the risk for refreezing, slow speeds and plenty of room is advised for the morning commute on Wednesday,” CWG wrote this afternoon.
In response to the frigid temperatures, Arlington’s Emergency Winter Shelter is open all day today and will be open all day tomorrow, the county says.
ART bus service has also been altered to avoid troublesome roads. From the county, here are the routes affected:
ART Route 61 will not service 12 street and Queen and will use Arlington Boulevard/Route 50 instead.
ART Routes 75 will not service Fredrick Street and will use Columbus instead.
ART Routes 42, 45, and 77 will not service Courthouse Road, and will take Walter Reed instead.
School bus accident on N. Kirkwood Road (photo courtesy Rob Laybourn)
Car accident on N. Kirkwood Road Jan. 6, 2015 (photo courtesy Rob Laybourn)
Garbage truck slides onto the sidewalk on N. Woodrow Street (photo courtesy John Slanta)
Cars stuck on a hill on 36th Street N. near Jamestown Elementary (photo courtesy @SteevPearson)
N. Sycamore Street blocked by a stuck Pepsi truck (photo via @MaryTheTyrant)
An Arlington Public Schools employee clears snow from in front of Barrett Elementary School in 2015 (file photo)
A school bus makes its way to school at 9:30 a.m.
N. Park Drive between George Mason Drive and N. Carlin Springs Road
A fire crew helps stuck motorists on 23rd Street S.
Chains on a fire truck tire
A stuck Metrobus at S. Joyce Street and 23rd Street
(Updated at 11:10 a.m.) Arlington County officials say more snow arrived than they expected this morning — 3 inches so far, according to the National Weather Service — leading to widespread traffic, transit delays and accidents.
The NWS declared a Winter Storm Warning just after 9:00 a.m., now predicting the region gets more than 4 inches of snow by 1:00 p.m. Several of the accidents this morning have involved school buses, and the Arlington County Police Department tweeted that they received 71 calls for traffic accidents between 6:00 and 10:00 a.m.
Arlington County sent out the following release at 9:45 this morning:
MEDIA ALERT: A shifting weather pattern coupled with freezing temperatures resulted this morning in unexpectedly heavy snowfall and dangerously slick roads. Drivers should avoid unnecessary travel while County crews plow roads throughotu the day. If you must drive, use extreme caution. Visit the County’s Snow and Ice Page for tips on how to cope with inclement weather.
The County has deployed 35 piece of snow-fighting equipment. Snow-fighting will continue non-stop through the day and overnight into tomorrow. Crews will work first on main roads, then residential side streets.
APS has issued the following update: This morning’s inclement weather has caused significant traffic delays and buses are experiencing significant delays, and some buses are having problems completing their routes. Because of these traffic and road conditions, we continue to experience transportation delays this morning. We are also experiencing some telephone outages with Verizon services at some APS locations. Any student arriving late will not be marked tardy. If you are driving your student to school, please be patient and safe.
ARLnow.com received a photo of a garbage truck that had slid onto the sidewalk while trying to make its delayed rounds. As of 10:30 a.m., all trash and recycling collection for the day has been suspended, and collection for the rest of the week is pushed back a day.
Snowfall has tapered off and most outlets are predicting that accumulation has all but ended. With sub-freezing temperatures predicted for the rest of the day today and tomorrow, the secondary roads the county has yet to plow could begin icing over.
This is the first snowfall since Arlington announced it would start treating its major trails as primary roads. Crews cleared the Custis Trail and W&OD Trail — which is owned and maintained by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority — to allow bike commuters to travel into work.
We had previously reported that at least seven roads had been closed due to accidents, and several more are experiencing multi-vehicle accidents. Scanner traffic indicates the intersection of Fort Scott Drive and S. Grant Street near Crystal City had a three-car accident, a multi-vehicle accident at N. Highland and 20th Streets and several cars getting stuck on a hill on N. Livingston Street.
(Updated at 10:25 a.m.) This morning’s commute is officially a traffic nightmare for anyone still out on the roads.
The map above shows just how bad traffic is around the region as two and a half inches of slick, powdery snow have fallen. Numerous accidents have been reported around the county as students make their way to school and commuters make their way to work.
Metrobus service has now been limited to snow emergency routes — major roadways only. There is no Metrobus service on secondary streets.
Arlington snow crews so far are only treating primary and secondary roads, not neighborhood streets.
Conditions are bad enough on local roads that we’ve heard of at least one tow truck getting stuck en route to an accident scene An Arlington County Police spokesman, who himself was stuck in heavy traffic having moved only 3 miles in an hour and a half, said officers were doing their best to keep up with all the accidents.
“Obviously traffic is pretty [bad],” said ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The county’s 911 call center is “getting a steady flow of emergency calls. The majority of calls are for struck vehicles… we’re addressing accidents first, then stuck vehicles.”
Sternbeck noted that the police department has a normal staffing level this morning.
At least one crossing guard has not been able to make it to her post near Jefferson Middle School, but no police officers are available to replace her, according to scanner traffic. At N. McKinkey Road in 9th Street, medics are responding to a crossing guard who slipped, injured her knee and is lying in the middle of the road.
Students are tweeting ARLnow.com saying their buses are running late or are getting stuck. Others say their school bus never showed up at all.
There have been police reports of school buses getting stuck in various locations, including near Oak Ridge Elementary and on 16th Street S. at S. Taylor Street.
The following roads have been closed by police due to cars getting stuck on hills:
14th Street N. between Kirkwood and Kenmore
S. Adams Street between 25th and 26th
Wilson Blvd at N. Larrimore Street
16th Street between Taylor and Stafford
N. Patrick Henry Drive at 9th
8th Road S. at Dinwiddie
N. McKinley Road north of Wilson Blvd (several accidents reported)
Drivers and residents have been tweeting reports of accidents and stuck vehicles.
Trash collection is being delayed until later in the day today, according to the Dept. of Environmental Services.
A “ground stop” was in place for flights at Reagan National Airport for part of the morning. As of 8:50 a.m., the airport said the main runway had been treated and “our operations are back to normal.”
While numerous problems have been reported on the roads, at least one bike trail was well-treated this morning.
The National Weather Service belatedly issued a Winter Storm Warning just after 9:00 a.m.
… WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW… WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.
* PRECIPITATION TYPE… SNOW… HEAVY AT TIMES.
* ACCUMULATIONS… 4 TO 6 INCHES.
* TIMING… UNTIL 1 PM. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL BE THROUGH 11 AM.
* TEMPERATURES… LOW 20S.
* WINDS… VARIABLE 5 MPH.
* IMPACTS… HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATING ON ALL SURFACES WELL BELOW FREEZING AND VISIBILITY BELOW HALF MILE WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE FOR VERY HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL… KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT… FOOD… AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
(Updated at 7:30 a.m.) Roads are covered with white, powdery snow as Arlington and the rest of the D.C. region gets its first snow of the year and first measurable snow of the season.
Several accidents have been reported around Arlington as an inch or so of snow has made driving treacherous. The crashes are happening throughout the county — on I-395, Glebe Road at Route 50, Wilson Blvd and elsewhere.
The Wilson Blvd crash, at N. Larrimore Street, reportedly involves several vehicles. Wilson Blvd is shut down between N. Kensington and Larrimore Streets as of 7:00 a.m.
Cars and buses are struggling to make it up hills, particularly on neighborhood streets. Police have asked a salt truck to expedite to 16th Street N. near Virginia Hospital Center, as hospital employees and other drivers are having trouble making it up a hill.
Arlington snow crews “are out treating primary and secondary roads through the morning snow,” according to the Dept. of Environmental Services.
ART buses are running this morning, but delays are likely.
“Roads and sidewalks have become very slippery,” ART said in an alert. “ART routes are running but delays are expected.”
Students, meanwhile, will be disappointed to know that Arlington Public Schools has not seen fit to delay school as a result of the snow. The school system announced this morning that it’s opening on time, on a normal schedule.
School are opening on time in the District of Columbia and Fairfax County, as well.
On Tuesday, January 6, 2015, Arlington Public Schools is operating on a normal schedule and opening on time.
Arlington snow crews are getting ready for what might be the county’s first measurable snowfall of 2015.
Forecasters say the area could get 1-2 inches of snow Tuesday morning. The timing of the storm might make the morning commute miserable.
Arlington County crews have started pre-treating roads and bike trails with brine, as part of a “Phase 1: Alert” snow removal status.
“Snow crews will start spreading brine on arterial streets today and then go into residential areas,” according to Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Jessica Baxter. “Crews are also hooking up all of the plows today to be prepared to salt early tomorrow morning. This is all subject to change with the weather conditions.”
The National Weather Service issued the following Winter Weather Advisory this afternoon.
… WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 1 PM EST TUESDAY…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW… WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 1 PM EST TUESDAY.
* PRECIPITATION TYPE… SNOW… POSSIBLY MODERATE AT TIMES.
* ACCUMULATIONS… AROUND 1 INCH. UP TO 2 INCHES UNDER HEAVIEST BANDS.
* TIMING… LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING INCLUDING THE MORNING TRAFFIC RUSH… HEAVIEST SNOW 6 AM TO 11 AM.
* TEMPERATURES… IN THE MID TO UPPER 20S.
* WINDS… SOUTH 5 TO 10 MPH.
* IMPACTS… SNOW ACCUMULATING ON SURFACES BELOW FREEZING WILL MAKE FOR HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES… AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.
Rudolph may need to get to work a bit early. Dense fog today, soaking rain tomorrow and gusty winds on Thursday are expected to make getting to grandma’s house for the holidays a bit trickier.
Four out of ten D.C. area residents — nearly 2.5 million people — are expected to travel 50 miles or more during the 13-day holiday travel period around Christmas and New Year’s, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.
That’s up 3.3 percent from 2013.
Most of those travelers will be taking to the roads — 91 percent — while 5 percent will be flying and 4 percent will be traveling via other modes of transportation, AAA said. The busiest day on the roads: today, Dec. 23.
The weather is already making travel more difficult. Departure delays ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours, due to fog, are being reported for flights going to eastern seaboard cities like Boston, New York and Philadelphia.
While the 24th and 25th are expected to be lighter travel days, it’s yet to be seen what impacts the expected wind and rain may have.
Locally, forecasters say to expect the fog to linger through this evening. From the National Weather Service:
… PATCHY DENSE FOG INTO EARLY AFTERNOON…
PATCHY DENSE FOG WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS PORTIONS OF EASTERN AND SOUTHERN MARYLAND AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA LATE THIS MORNING. LOW CLOUDS ACROSS THE AREA WILL CONTINUE TO LOWER IN HEIGHT TOWARD THE SURFACE… REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO NEAR OR BELOW A QUARTER MILE IN LOCALIZED AREAS.
IF TRAVELING… USE EXTRA CAUTION AND BE PREPARED FOR QUICKLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN FOG.
VDOT has about 400 trucks staged in Loudoun, Fairfax, Prince William and Arlington counties this morning, in preparation for a storm that’s bringing a combination of rain and snow to much of the the east coast.
The timing of the storm, on one of the busiest travel day of the year, could create major problems on local highways and byways.
VDOT urges drivers to “use extra caution, particularly on bridges, overpasses, curves, hills and ramps, which become slippery first,” as the snow starts falling later today. Crews are not pre-treating roads since the rain would just wash the treatment away.
The snow is expected to start falling in Arlington as the storm begins to taper off, between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m., according to the Capital Weather Gang. It’s expected to begin snowing this morning in northern and western parts of the region.
AAA Mid-Atlantic, meanwhile, is warning of the potential for “massive traffic woes and havoc on the treacherous roadways.”
“Wednesday can turn into a chaotic and frightening scene of events on the roadways along the East Coast,” said AAA Mid-Atlantic’s John Townsend. “With over one million travelers in Washington, D.C., another 1.1 in Virginia, and nearly 900,000 in Maryland taking to the roads this Thanksgiving, AAA is warning motorists to heed all travel warnings and stay home until road conditions improve.”
Some 24 percent of weather-related crashes happen due to snowy or icy pavement, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
For those who do have to travel today, WJLA meteorologist Lauryn Ricketts is advising that the best time to head north is before 10:00 a.m., while the best time to travel south is after 7:00 p.m. All major area highways are expected to see weather impacts, Ricketts said.
Arlington Public Schools students have a pre-scheduled off day today for the Thanksgiving holiday.
