snow

JUST IN: Winter Storm Watch issued for Arlington

By ARLnow.com
Snow in Westover on Jan. 3, 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

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.

https://twitter.com/VaDOTNOVA/status/1482081483644973059

Snow preparations underway in Arlington ahead of likely winter weather

By Brandi Bottalico

A snow removal truck on Washington Blvd in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

If you didn’t already know, the brine lines on the roadways have told you by now: Arlington will likely see snow this weekend.

Residents have been regularly checking the forecast for days in anticipation of what is likely to be more winter weather. At this point, the forecast suggests we’ll see a few inches of snow starting Sunday afternoon, before a changeover to sleet, freezing rain and then plain rain.

“This will create very hazardous driving conditions for a time Sunday as roads will be frozen from cold air ahead of the storm,” according to the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang.

Arlington started putting down brine yesterday (Thursday) afternoon and the county’s Department of Environmental Services recommends residents continue to check forecasts, look for updates on its social media and avoid travel during and in the hours after a storm. Residents can check in on road conditions through the county’s traffic cams and snow plow map.

The county will treat roadways and trails as snow begins to fall but won’t start to plow until there are at least 2 inches of snow. Crews will clear snow from all streets and county trails, with primary and secondary routes tackled first and neighborhood streets last.

“We should know more Friday in terms of whether the precipitation turns to rain with above-freezing temperatures into Monday,” DES spokesman Peter Golkin said. “The fact that Monday is a holiday will help with any large storm response because of less traffic. Crews need space and time clearing snow and ice.”

The Virginia Department of Transportation started putting brine down on state roadways after this morning’s commute.

https://twitter.com/VaDOTNOVA/status/1481699122587578373

Morning Poll: Ready for more winter weather?

By ARLnow.com
A man on cross-country skis navigating the snow in Rosslyn on Jan. 3, 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Like it or not, another round of snow is looking increasingly likely this weekend.

Forecast models are putting the odds of at least an inch of snow at 50% or above, and some are even suggesting more than a foot is possible, according to the Capital Weather Gang. The storm would cross our area Sunday into Monday.

Given that we just got through a full week of school closures, caused by snowstorms that bookended the week, we’re wondering how Arlingtonians feel about the idea of more snow.

Looking forward to another winter wonderland and more snowball fights? Dreading shoveling and days off of school? Weigh in below.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Snowvid-19, at Westover Baptist Church (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Icy Conditions Possible This Morning — “The risk of dangerous driving conditions will continue Monday morning — after freezing rain coated parts of the D.C. region Sunday — with the potential for wet roads to refreeze overnight.” [WTOP, Twitter]

Mail Delivery Complaints in 22207 — The local Nextdoor social network was abuzz last week with mail delivery complaints from residents of northern Arlington neighborhoods, specifically in the 22207 zip code. Amid snowstorms and a Covid wave, residents reported not receiving any mail for several days. A spokesman for Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) tells ARLnow that the congressman’s office “had a call with USPS” on Thursday. “Rep. Beyer is working on getting answers on why this is happening (snow is a factor but it seems like many of the issues preceded the storm) and trying to get it fixed,” the spokesman wrote.

Citizen Police Academy Applications Open — “The Arlington County Police Department is now accepting applications for the 26th Community Police Academy (CPA), formerly the Citizen’s Police Academy. The CPA is an educational program designed to create better understanding and communication between police and the community they serve. The intent of the CPA is to make participants aware of how the Arlington County Police Department operates and its role in the community.” [ACPD]

It’s Monday — Today will be sunny, with a high near 34. Northwest wind 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Sunrise at 7:27 a.m. and sunset at 5:05 p.m. Tomorrow will be sunny and chilly, with a high near 28 and a northwest wind 6 to 11 mph. [Weather.gov]

APS may soon revert to virtual learning on snowy, icy days

By Jo DeVoe
Wakefield High School in the snow (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Snow this week has nearly wiped out Arlington Public Schools’ snow days for the winter.

Two months ago, APS modified its winter weather plans to include six traditional “snow days,” in which school is completely canceled, followed by distance-learning days.

Snow overnight and this morning — coupled with Monday’s storm and fallout — resulted in a full five days home from school for APS students and staff this week. That means APS has one more snow day before reverting to virtual learning for future winter weather-related closures.

Virtual learning during winter weather is new for the school system, which, due to the pandemic, was fully virtual for the majority of students and staff for most of the 2020-21 school year.

The new policy will “allow learning to continue and avoid ‘makeup’ days at the end of the school year,” APS said when it announced the changes.

The six-day threshold is based on the number of days built into the current calendar for inclement weather, it said.

A pandemic-era innovation, virtual learning for bad weather is being implemented in a smattering of school systems across the U.S., but the Washington Post reports that Arlington and Fairfax County Public Schools kept some snow days to retain “some sense of normalcy.”

Alexandria City Public Schools was one of the only D.C.-area schools to start the snowy week with virtual learning, a change some bemoaned as the end of the snow day. But there were widespread internet outages and today (Friday), students and staff got their proper snow day.

APS, meanwhile, closed schools closed Monday through Thursday due to Monday’s storm and its effects. It had planned to return kids to school on Thursday but reversed course because many teachers and staff were dealing with child care challenges.

Arlington Parents for Education — a parent group that has advocated for full-time, in-person learning during the pandemic — used this week’s closures to renew its call for APS to align its calendar with that of neighboring Fairfax County Public Schools.

Snow days and virtual learning are a few ways APS can respond to winter weather. It can also delay start by two hours, release early and cancel after-school and weekend activities.

Sports and other extracurricular activities are already canceled until Friday, Jan. 14 due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, a decision that frustrated many parents and students.

The surge occurred among athletes, too, with more than 140 positives reported in a 10-day period late last month, Superintendent Francisco Durán told the School Board during its meeting last night (Thursday), which was held virtually.

Arlington is a winter wonderland, but roads are in decent shape

By ARLnow.com
Snow on the Yorktown High School sign announcing winter break (Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann)

Update at 12:45 p.m. — Roughly half or more of Arlington’s neighborhood streets have been cleared, according to the county’s snow removal map. ART bus routes are returning to normal service levels.

Earlier: It’s a snow day in Arlington, but getting around is not quite as treacherous as on Monday.

A smaller storm and more time to prepare have contributed to a much different situation on the roads.

About three inches of snow accumulation has been reported in Arlington — officially, 2.6 inches at National Airport — but cold temperatures have kept the snow light and fluffy. That compares to the 6.5-10 inches of snow from Monday’s storm, which started as rain and left a heavy wet layer of snow at the bottom.

Most primary and secondary routes seen on traffic cameras were clear as of 8:30 a.m.

Since 8 a.m., few significant traffic-related issues have been reported on police and fire radios.

Arlington County’s snow response remain in Phase 2 at last check, meaning crews are currently focusing on primary and secondary roads, leaving local roads snow-covered. Traffic cameras show visible pavement on most primary and secondary routes.

Bus service is running this morning, but on severe weather schedules. Both Arlington Transit and Metro have suspended a number of routes. The ART routes suspended as of publication include 53, 61, 62, 74, 75 and 84.

Arlington Public Schools are closed today for the fifth day in a row, joining other major local school systems in declaring Friday a snow day, while Arlington County government facilities will open today on a delay, at 10 a.m.

The rest of Friday is expected to be cold and windy, with a high near 30 and gusts up to 33 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann

JUST IN: Arlington schools closed and trash collection cancelled Friday

By ARLnow.com
Washington-Liberty High School in the snow (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Your kids and your trash will be staying at home until next week.

Arlington Public Schools just announced that it will be closed for the fifth school day in a row, in anticipation of 2-4 inches of snow overnight. Students have not been in class since before the winter break.

More from APS:

Due to the winter weather advisory issued for Arlington, all schools and offices will be closed on Friday, January 7, 2022. Unless otherwise directed by their supervisors, maintenance staff should report to work at their scheduled time, and all custodians should report to work at 6 a.m. Extracurricular activities, games, team practices, field trips, adult education classes, and programs in schools and on school grounds are canceled. For updates about Pool Operations, go to www.apsva.us/aquatics. For information about Arlington County programs and operations go to www.arlingtonva.us.

The announcement follows closure announcements from Fairfax County Public Schools at 4 p.m. and Alexandria City Public Schools at 5 p.m.

Schools are not the only local closure of note tomorrow. Arlington County has already cancelled curbside trash and recycling collection.

Friday will be the third collection day this week — in addition to Monday and Tuesday — to be cancelled. Residents whose trash was not collected this week will have to wait until their next scheduled collection date next week.

In other words, prepare to see trash piling up in roughly three-fifths of Arlington’s single-family-home neighborhoods.

The special Christmas tree pickup, meanwhile, has been delayed by a week and is now set to start on Monday. From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services:

Curbside recycling/trash/organics collection is cancelled for Friday, Jan. 7 due to the expected overnight storm.

There will be no make-up collection days for this week.

Weather- and safety-permitting, curbside collections will resume Jan. 10 with regular Monday routes plus special Christmas tree collection. Free paper shredding and inert material drop-off scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 8 at the Trades Center has been postponed until Saturday, Jan. 15.

After being short-handed for Monday’s winter storm, Arlington snow crews are now working to pre-treat roads and prepare for tonight’s snowfall. About 2-4 inches of accumulation are expected, though the forecast has been trending toward the lower half of that range.

Arlington and much of the D.C. area is under a Winter Weather Advisory starting at 9 p.m. From the National Weather Service:

328 PM EST Thu Jan 6 2022

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 AM EST FRIDAY…

* WHAT…Snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches.

* WHERE…The Washington and Baltimore Metropolitan areas, portions of central and southern Maryland, and portions northern Virginia.

* WHEN…From 9 PM this evening to 7 AM EST Friday.

* IMPACTS…Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…The heaviest snow is expected overnight when snowfall rates of 1 inch per hour are possible. Visibility will be reduced to near or less than one-half mile.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Slow down and use caution while traveling.

When venturing outside, watch your first few steps taken on steps, sidewalks, and driveways, which could be icy and slippery, increasing your risk of a fall and injury.

NEW: Arlington crews wrapping up snow removal as another winter storm looms

By ARLnow.com
1/3

It’s been tough sledding, so to speak, for Arlington snow crews this week.

With the help of some milder temperatures, crews have nearly completed their snow removal effort following Monday’s winter storm. But with another storm looming tonight, threatening another 2-4 inches of snow, there will not be time to rest.

“Arlington crews continue to clear the remnants of Monday’s storm ahead of this next event, moving in tonight,” said Peter Golkin, spokesman for the county’s Dept. of Environmental Services. “They’re clearing intersections and turn lanes while pre-treating bridges and other key spots with brine and salt.”

Officials today revealed more details about the challenges the county faced in dealing with a major snowstorm during a Covid wave and at the end of a holiday weekend.

“Just a few days out, forecasts did not anticipate Monday’s event and the first indication of a significant weather event was issued Sunday morning at 4:30 a.m.,” Golkin recounted. “Arlington crews worked through Sunday to load salt spreader V-boxes, attach plows and mobilize equipment for the response as most Arlington equipment is multi-purpose as part of year-round operations.”

Indeed, as of Saturday (New Year’s Day) morning, two days before the storm, forecasters were only calling for “relatively light precipitation” and limited accumulation, in part because Sunday was expected to be warm and the precipitation would start as rain.

“Roads were not pretreated because the incoming Monday system, as forecast, began with heavy rain, which washes away brine, making it useless,” Golkin noted

By Monday evening, after 6-10 inches of snow fell, the county acknowledged what many locals observed: streets were not getting cleared as quickly as in past storms. While Arlington and other D.C. area jurisdictions don’t have the snow removal firepower of more northern locales with more frequent significant snow events, the plowing was taking longer than usual.

The county blamed “COVID19-related staffing shortages.”

“Our first Monday team was at approximately 50% of typical response, due to staffing shortages from the direct or collateral impact of COVID, plus the challenges of people returning from a scheduled holiday weekend,” Golkin said this morning. “Monday’s second shift starting at noon was further hampered when members who live far from Arlington got caught in traffic backups including at least eight stranded for more than 20 hours on I-95.”

“Our contractors for additional trucks had the same issues and were naturally in high demand across the region,” the spokesman added. “By Tuesday afternoon, we had mobilized above the 75% of County level for a typical big response and supplemented with contractor resources.”

Now with another storm looming, county and state officials are sounding a louder alarm — even with lower anticipated snowfall totals.

“With the National Weather Service calling for another significant round of winter weather making its way across Virginia Thursday night (Jan. 6) into Friday morning (Jan. 7), the Virginia State Police are encouraging Virginians to be weather aware… to plan ahead… and to avoid traveling during inclement conditions,” state police said today.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has even declared a preemptive state of emergency.

(more…)

JUST IN: APS closed Thursday, citing other school system closures

By ARLnow.com
Crossing the street at Washington Blvd. and George Mason Dr. after the snow (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 8:55 p.m.) Arlington Public Schools will be closed tomorrow because, according to APS, other school systems are also closed.

In an email to families, APS said that local streets are clear of snow and school could open, but the already-announced closure of other Northern Virginia school systems — like Fairfax County, Alexandria and Prince William County — would have an impact on staffing.

Thursday’s closure could mean an entire week of snow days for students and beleaguered parents, immediately following the winter break. Forecasters say 2-4 inches of snow is expected Thursday night and Friday morning, which will likely result in more closures.

More from APS:

All APS schools and offices will be closed on Thu, Jan. 6. The primary and neighborhood roads in Arlington are clear and our schools are ready; however, due to the closure of most neighboring school divisions and the impact of those closures on our staffing, APS will also be closed on Thu, Jan. 6, 2022.

Unless otherwise directed by their supervisors, custodial and maintenance staff should report to work at their scheduled time. Extracurricular activities, games, team practices, field trips, adult education classes, and programs in schools and on school grounds are canceled. For updates about Pool Operations, go to www.apsva.us/aquatics. For information about Arlington County programs and operations go to www.arlingtonva.us.

Earlier today, around 4:45 p.m., APS announced via social media that it would be back open Thursday. After tonight’s announcement it apologized for jumping the gun.

JUST IN: Winter Weather Advisory issued ahead of Thursday night snow

By ARLnow.com
Snow in Westover (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

More snow is on the way.

The National Weather Service just issued a Winter Weather Advisory, saying 2-4 inches of accumulation is likely between Thursday night and Friday morning.

The snowfall could bring more travel disruptions and closures. It follows three days of school closures in Arlington after a winter storm dropped 6-10 inches of snow on Monday.

From NWS:

233 PM EST Wed Jan 5 2022

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THURSDAY TO 5 AM EST FRIDAY…

* WHAT…Snow. Total snow accumulations 2 to 4 inches. Isolated high amounts of around 5 inches are possible.

* WHERE…The District of Columbia, portions of northern and central Maryland, and northern Virginia.

* WHEN…From 9 PM Thursday to 5 AM EST Friday.

* IMPACTS…Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Friday morning commute.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…The heaviest snow is expected between 10 PM and 2 AM when snowfall rates of 1 inch per hour are possible.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Slow down and use caution while traveling.

When venturing outside, watch your first few steps taken on steps, sidewalks, and driveways, which could be icy and slippery, increasing your risk of a fall and injury.

More from social media:

https://twitter.com/ReadyArlington/status/1478782959943659520

NEW: Arlington students get yet another snow day on Wednesday

By ARLnow.com
Snowy Clarendon on Monday (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

For the third day in a row, Arlington Public Schools students — and those that follow APS closures, like local preschools — will get another snow day.

The school system announced the closure shortly after 5 p.m., with the possibility of freezing rain in the forecast and with many neighborhood streets still covered in snow and ice.

From APS:

Due to current neighborhood road and sidewalk conditions, all schools and offices will be closed on Wed, January 5, 2022. APS is working with Arlington County to clear all roads as quickly as possible, and while most primary and secondary roads are clear, many neighborhood roads have not been plowed and are not passable by buses. Many sidewalks are still not safe for pedestrians. Crews are working extended shifts, with limited staffing available, to clear all roadways as quickly as possible.

Unless otherwise directed by their supervisors, custodial and maintenance staff should report to work at their scheduled time, and all custodians should report to work at 6 a.m. Extracurricular activities, games, team practices, field trips, adult education classes, and programs in schools and on school grounds are canceled. For updates about Pool Operations, go to www.apsva.us/aquatics. For information about Arlington County programs and operations go to www.arlingtonva.us.

Fairfax County, Alexandria, Prince William County and other public school systems have also already announced closures for Wednesday.

Arlington County’s snow plow map shows that only a portion of local roads have been cleared as of Tuesday evening. Many haven’t seen a single plow since the start of Monday’s winter storm. (The county prioritizes primary and secondary roads as part of its snow removal plan.)

“Hours of sun and temps above freezing today helped crews with the storm cleanup but work will continue on refreezing roads into the morning,” Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services tweeted tonight. “Avoid unnecessary travel, giving plows the needed space and time.”

Previously, the county said its plow crews were experiencing staffing shortages due to Covid cases.

Arlington snow plow map as of 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Uncleared streets are in red. (via Arlington County)
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