snow

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Freezing Rain and Snow Hits After Dark — It might not have been the monster storm that’s now hitting New York City and southern New England, but a relatively short period of freezing rain and snow made for some slippery conditions during rush hour last night. Most of the inch or so of snow we received is expected to melt today. If, however, unshoveled snow in front of someone else’s property is causing problems, you can report it via the county’s snow reporting form. Meanwhile, if you’re flying out of Reagan National today, you can check flight status here. Numerous flights have been canceled.

Dyszel Doc to be Screened at Artisphere Tonight — Dick Dyszel is a local television legend. During the ’70s and ’80s he played popular characters like Bozo the Clown and Count Gore de Vol on the Washington airwaves. “Every Other Night Is Halloween,” a documentary about Dyszel’s improbable career, will be playing at Artisphere. The film also examines the “de-evolution of local television” and the rise of the internet. The screening starts at 8:00 in Artisphere’s Dome Theater. Tickets are $6.

Shooshan Secures Financing for Founders Square Building — The Shooshan Company has successfully secured $100 million in financing to build the future headquarters of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in Ballston, part of the Founders Square development. (It’s worth noting that two workers were injured from a fall at the construction site yesterday.) A company representative says the financing allows them to concentrate on the construction of the building, which will be the first in Arlington to meet the DoD’s Minimum Anti-Terrorism Standards for Buildings. [GlobeSt.com]

What Left These Prints in the Snow?

By ARLnow.com

What kind of an animal left these unlikely prints in the snow overnight Sunday? That’s what one Arlington homeowner is asking.

I found these in the driveway early [Monday] morning.  I’ve Googled animal prints and sent copies to friends, but no one has figured out the type of animal responsible.

One theory is that the prints belong to a hobbled bunny. Any other guesses?

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Chamber Questions HOT Lanes Lawsuit — The Arlington Chamber of Commerce says ending the county’s lawsuit against the I-395 HOT lanes project is one of its public policy priorities for 2011. “We find it kind of bizarre that the county has taken the actions that they have,” Chamber President Rich Doud told the Washington Examiner. “As far as I can tell, they don’t have many friends agreeing with them on this from outside Arlington, and I guess counting us, not many friends inside Arlington, either.”

Costly Sunday Snow Preps — Arlington County brought in 150 employees over a 24 hour period to prepare for an expected Sunday snowstorm. The snow ended up skipping the Washington area on its way up to Philly, New York and New England. More from TBD.

Legislators to Address Civic Federation — The Arlington County Civic Federation has invited Arlington’s legislative delegation to address the organization’s meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 4. No word yet on which of the county’s four delegates and two state senators will speak. The meeting will also feature a discussion about Arlington’s new snow removal policy with representatives from the county and from Dominion Virginia Power.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Hang On To Your Hat — A wind advisory is in effect until 9:00 tonight for the entire metro area. The National Weather Service says to expect sustained winds of 25 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts of 45 to 50 miles per hour. So far, the wind has not caused any major problems in Arlington. Dominion is reporting only 17 customers without power in Arlington as of 6:30 a.m.

Local Snowstorm a Bust, But Travelers Stranded — As it turns out, the snowstorm that was supposed to hit D.C. yesterday left barely a dusting. But at Reagan National Airport this morning, there is evidence of what could have been. The storm ended up blanketing northeastern cities with up to a foot and a half of snow, causing major disruptions to air, rail and bus travel. Many travelers who were trying to fly from Reagan National to Philly, New York or Boston instead spent the night at the airport. New York’s airports are not expected to reopen until this afternoon.

Arlington Residents Complain About Snow —  The Dec. 16 “storm” that dropped about two inches of snow on Arlington prompted a slew of complaints to the county’s new online snow issue reporting form. Check out quotes from four of the complaints, courtesy of TBD.

Rosslyn Commons Groundbreaking Set — The groundbreaking for 1510 and 1530 Clarendon Boulevard, also known as Rosslyn Commons, has been scheduled for the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 25. Developer JBG sent an email last week asking local leaders to “save the date.”

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

Winter Storm Warning Issued

By ARLnow.com

Update at 2:00 p.m. — The winter storm warning has been dropped. Arlington is now expected to just get a dusting of snow.

Update at 3:00 a.m. — It now appears that the storm will be smaller than anticipated locally.

The Arlington Office of Emergency Management has broadcast the following alert about the snowstorm that will be impacting the Washington area tomorrow.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for NCR, effective from 6AM Sunday to 6AM Monday. Currently, the anticipated amount of snowfall is 6-7 inches. However, the area is right on the borderline between receiving a direct hit by the storm, and only receiving moderate snow, so anywhere from 3-10 inches should be anticipated. Light snow will start early Sun morning, and become heavier from mid-morning to early evening. High temp 30. Snow will taper off at night, but winds will pick up. Low 23. Monday will provide clearing but with windy conditions, and possibly blowing snow. High 31.

Arlington OEM would like to offer the following tips:

-Drive only if it is absolutely necessary. If you must drive, stay on main roads, and avoid back roads and alleys.

-Avoid overexertion when shoveling snow. Overexertion can bring on a heart attack—a major cause of death during the winter.

-Listen to your radio, television or NOAA Weather Radio for weather reports and emergency information.

-Dress for the weather. Wear several layers of loose fitting, lightweight, warm clothing rather than one layer of heavy clothing. Wear mittens, a hat and cover your mouth with a scarf to protect your lungs.

-Watch for signs of frostbite (skin appears white and waxy, numbness or no feeling) and hypothermia (shivering, confusion or dizziness, slow or slurred speech). Go to a medical facility immediately if you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms.

Morning Poll: Dreams of a Winter Wonderland

By ARLnow.com

The snow storm once seen as a possibility for this weekend never came to pass. Instead of a cold, snowy weekend, we were left with, well, just a cold weekend.

Now, instead of a blast of snow on Tuesday, as once predicted, snow lovers are being told to wait until Christmas.

Surely, snow fans must be getting a bit frustrated. If there’s one time of year when it would be nice to have some more white stuff on the ground, it’s the holiday season.

Now, we know there are plenty of people around here who would swap climates with South Florida in a second, if given the choice. But if the temperature outside is going to be freezing cold anyway, would you rather have some snow?


Should APS Have Let Kids Out Early?

By ARLnow.com

In a move that was probably cheered by many working parents and by anybody who spent their childhood in snowier locales, Arlington Public Schools administrators declined to take the “easy” route of letting kids out of school early at the first sign of snowflakes.

Instead, while Fairfax and Loudoun students enjoyed a two-hour early release, Arlington students toughed it out.

It was a somewhat gutsy call, because anything that goes wrong on the way home is going to to be blamed on the administrators. And yes, things did go wrong.

We heard of at least three accidents involving school buses caused by the slippery conditions yesterday. There were no injuries reported in any of the accidents, but at least one after-school accident — at Kirkwood Road and 14th Street North — did involve a bus that was carrying kids at the time.

The buses, which seem to have an tough time finding traction on hilly, snow-covered county roads, ran late as a result of the poor conditions. In at least one case, the buses were running very late, as this email from a concerned APS parent points out.

I am new to the Arlington County School system, as my oldest child just entered kindergarten this year. I was somewhat surprised yesterday when every other county let out early, but APS did not. I did receive an email from the school’s assistant principal to inform me that the buses might be somewhat delayed. However, after waiting out at the bus stop for 40 minutes (with my two other small children), I called the school to find out when I could expect the bus. I was told that 2 of the buses had not even arrived yet to pick the children up, (at 4:45, an hour after normal release time), and my 5 year old was sitting in the office at the school. When I became upset, I was told by the woman on the phone “You have to understand. Some of the roads are impassable.” I was then told it would probably be best if I just came to pick up my child.

If APS cannot insure the safe transportation of all their students during inclement weather, shouldn’t that be a factor in their decision making?

If you were a school administrator, what would you have done?

Flickr pool photo by afagen

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

A-SPAN Holds Holiday Gala — The Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network held its 5th annual Help the Homeless Holiday Gala last night at Artisphere in Rosslyn. Party-goers were treated to food from Lebanese Taverna, Santa Fe Cafe and Sushi Rock, music from BMT and a performance by BalletNova. An auction held to benefit A-SPAN proved that deep down, there is something people care about more than politics in Washington. Tickets to a Capitals / Tampa Bay Lightning game fetched a higher price than a private lunch for four with Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va).

VSP Busy During Snowstorm — Virginia State Police responded to a total of 555 calls for service during yesterday’s snowstorm. Of those calls, 109 were for crashes and 135 were for disabled vehicles.

PenPlace Planning Hearing Postponed — Due to the snow, a scheduled planning meeting about the proposed PenPlace development in Pentagon City has been postponed. The current proposal is to build a five-building office and hotel complex located on a large swatch of undeveloped land between Eads and Fern Streets, adjacent to Army Navy Drive.  If approved, concessions from developers (including land owner Vornado) would help to fund the construction of nearby Long Bridge Park. More from TBD.

Hills Prove Challenging During Snowfall

By ARLnow.com

Out of the more than 15 accidents that have been reported in Arlington since the snow started falling, we haven’t heard of one on any of the major highways that criss-cross the county. Instead, it’s hilly side streets that are proving the biggest challenge so far today

Earlier we reported that North Veitch Street had been shut down near Lee Highway due to slippery conditions on a hill that led to a minor accident.

Now we’re hearing of big problems on at least three other hilly roads.

Five cars are stuck on Army Navy Drive just before South Joyce Street. Police are on the scene awaiting a salt truck.

Washington Boulevard is blocked at Kirkwood Road, according to a tipster, due to a car that can’t get up the hill. (Update at 2:15 p.m. — It’s back open “but still unplowed and slippery,” our tipster says.)

And at North Pollard Street and 30th Street North, near Military Road in the Bellvue Forest neighborhood, police have blocked off a couple of ice-covered roads. The ice reportedly caused a FedEx truck and a Arlington County school bus to slide down a hill. The FedEx truck struck and seriously damaged a car, we hear. No word on damage to the school bus, but crews have been spreading sand in an effort to allow the bus to get back up the hill.

Update at 3:55 p.m. — One or two school buses have been involved in a collision at Kirkwood Road and 14th Street North, according to police radio traffic. No injuries have been reported.

After-School Activities Canceled Due to Snow

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Public Schools will not be granting an early release to students today. However, the school system is canceling all after-school and evening activities due to the snow.

If students are disappointed about not going home early, they can take solace in the fact that the school board is in the same boat. Tonight’s school board meeting will be held as scheduled.

Unlike Arlington, a number of local school systems including Fairfax and Loudoun Counties are closing two hours early today.

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