George Washington鈥檚 during today鈥檚 snowstorm in Virginia.
— Rob Shenk (@robshenk)
Please stay off the roads today to allow our crews to plow & treat roads as efficiently as possible. Crews have been treating trouble spots as needed and will be working throughout the storm. Pls give our crews room to work.
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA)
6:00 AM: A band of heavy snow is lifting northeast that will quickly make travel hazardous. Temperatures are below freezing in most locations, so exercise caution even if precipitation is light.
— NWS DC/Baltimore (@NWS_BaltWash)
If you look outside this morning and measure the snow, these number are about how much MORE you can expect. I had 0" when I woke up in downtown DC and I think DOWNTOWN DC totals will be in the 2-3" range, closer to 5 in the N & W sururbs.
— Chuck Bell (@ChuckBell4)
Heavy snow now falling in Western Loudoun. Driving up hill toward Purcellville, felt slush. Off main route, plow just went by w blade down, so it's as sticking on roadways.
— Neal Augenstein (@Augenstein海角精品黑料)
WASHINGTON 鈥� The spring snowstorm of 2018 is crawling out of the area, and its aftermath will linger around the D.C. area through the night and into the Thursday morning commute.
At about 10:20 p.m., Storm Team4 meteorologist Doug Kammerer said that snow and a snowy drizzle — “snizzle,” he called it — had begun to fall again in some spots in the D.C. area, including around I-66, I-95 and I-270.
Temperatures will drop below freezing overnight, resulting in slick surfaces through until morning, and some major school systems have announced they’ll remain closed for a second straight day.
The federal government in the D.C. area will open two hours late on Thursday, and employees have the option of unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework.
Quick Links:
海角精品黑料鈥檚 Bob Immler said at about 7:30 p.m. that it was 鈥渁 very calm evening鈥� on the roads, including the major highways, but warned that smaller roads, as well as bridges, ramps and overpasses, could freeze and become slick.
Storm Team4 meteorologist Amelia Draper said at the same time that the snow had tapered off to just a few showers, which would end around midnight without any more accumulation. Meteorologist Mike Stinneford said that the wind would pick up and temperatures would soon fall into the 20s, turning slushy, wet snow into ice.
Treated main roads will probably just stay wet, said 海角精品黑料 Traffic鈥檚 Bob Marbourg. Untreated surfaces such as secondary streets, sidewalks, front steps and the like 鈥渕ay well be slippery.鈥�
Also, be wary of raised surfaces such as bridges, as well as areas near puddles, he cautioned. 鈥淚f somebody drives through a puddle and tracks it around the corner, that may well freeze,鈥� Marbourg said.
The key factor, he said, is whether winds pick up before temperatures drop.
If they do, 鈥渢hen the road surfaces have a chance to dry out,鈥� Marbourg explained. 鈥淏ut if the temperatures drop before the wind dries the pavement, then we get the ice.鈥�
Tolls will be suspended on the 495 and 95 Express Lanes in Virginia from about 10 p.m. Wednesday until 5 a.m. Thursday. the idea is to get more people driving on the lanes, to warm up the pavement and improve the effectiveness of the ice melt.
A low-pressure system off the coast of Delaware is doing its part to end the spring snow, said Storm Team4 meteorologist Matt Ritter.
“As it takes over, the snow that’s over us is just going to fall apart in place gradually, from west to east, as we head through the afternoon,” Ritter said. “And then it’s out of here almost completely during the early evening, and the flurries should be ending by midnight.”
As of 3:15 p.m. reported snowfall totals included …
- Rockville, Maryland: 3 inches
- Columbia, Maryland: 5鈥�7 inches
- University Park, Maryland: 6.5 inches
- Reagan National Airport: 4 inches
- Chantilly, Virginia:聽5 inches
- Lovettsville, Virginia: 7 inches
()
Treacherous driving conditions
High winds blew down trees along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway between Maryland routes 410 and 198, said 海角精品黑料’s Reada Kessler. Other incidents in Maryland included jackknifed tractor-trailers that closed Interstate 95 at Maryland Route 32.
“If you do not have to be out on area roadways, please just stay put,” Kessler said. “The crews need to get the roadways cleared.”
Maryland’s State Highway Administration officials have deployed more than 1,000 personnel and more than 2,300 pieces of equipment to clear and treat the roads.
鈥淪tate agencies have been working around the clock to coordinate resources and clear roads, but heavy snowfall will occur throughout much of the state this afternoon into the evening,” Gov. Larry Hogan said. “Put your safety first, follow local weather forecasts, and be sure to heed all warnings as we continue to experience dangerous conditions.鈥�
Wednesday morning saw a spate of accidents across Virginia — state police dealt with more than 240 traffic crashes between midnight and 8:45 a.m. The majority of the crashes have only involved damage to vehicles. There have been no reported traffic fatalities.
Snow emergency for DC
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared a snow emergency until 7 a.m. Thursday. Motorists may not park vehicles along corridors designated as snow emergency routes, which are posted with red and white “Snow Emergency Route” signs. To find a towed vehicle, call 202-727-5000.
Comcast has offered to help residents in the D.C. area stay connected during the storm by opening more than 3,500 Xfinity WiFi hotspots at聽. This free service is available to anyone 鈥� including non-Xfinity internet customers 鈥� through Monday, March 26.
Closings and Delays
All major school systems in the region were closed Wednesday. Fairfax, Loudoun, Fauquier and Prince William County public schools, in Virginia, and Frederick County in Maryland, have announced they’ll be closed on Thursday too. Several systems have announced delayed openings as well.
A complete roundup of up-to-date information on school delays and closings is on 海角精品黑料鈥檚聽Closings and Delays page.
Weather
Here is the forecast for the next few days:
- Wednesday: Light snow/flurries ending by midnight. Breezy and cold with significant refreezing on area roads. Lows mid-20s to lower 30s
- Thursday: A mix of clouds and sunshine. Breezy and cold. Highs in the low to mid-40s
- Friday: Mostly sunny, breezy and cold. Highs upper 30s to lower 40s
Radar
Travel and Transportation
Metro trains are running on a modified schedule, every 12鈥�15 minutes. (The Rush Hour Promise is not in effect.) Metro buses will only be operating on major roads as part of their . for the rest of Wednesday. Metro announced Wednesday night that full bus service would resume at 4 a.m. Thursday, with the exception of any specific required snow detours. Rail and MetroAccess service would run as normal.
Dozens of Amtrak trains were canceled, including several Acela trains to New York and Boston. Amtrak has announced that their service reductions will continue Thursday:
SERVICE UPDATE: Due to the winter storm in the Northeast, we will continue modified service on Thurs. 3/22. Full service will be restored when weather conditions allow us to safely do so. Please continue to follow us for service updates. Details are outlined below.
鈥� Amtrak Northeast (@AmtrakNEC)
Read more about the forecast鈥檚 transit impacts.
Snow emergency fares are in effect for taxis at least through 10 p.m., according to D.C.’s Department of For-Hire Vehicles. A聽flat fee of $15 will be added to the metered fare for trips originating in the District. (For-hire drivers are advised to monitor .)
VRE said Wednesday evening that they will announce their service plans for Thursday by 4 a.m. As of 8 p.m. Wednesday, MARC said trains would run on an R schedule Thursday. But they’ll decide by 4 a.m. Thursday whether that holds, or whether they’ll cancel service completely.
All MARC and VRE train service was canceled Wednesday.
MTA Commuter Bus Service聽, except Route 201, which operated on regular weekday service.
Dulles International Airport and BWI Marshall Airport are advising travelers to check with their airlines for up-to-date flight information. At Reagan National Airport, delays and cancellations are possible throughout the day and tonight. Officials encouraged passengers to monitor the status of their flight before coming to the airport.
Traffic
颁丑别肠办听海角精品黑料’s traffic page聽for updates on weather-related accidents and road closures.
Power outages
As of Wednesday afternoon, a few thousand customers around the area had reported losing power. Monitor any reported outages in the map below.
- : 866-366-4357
- : 703-335-0500 or 888-335-0500
- :听877-737-2662
- : 888-544-4877
- : 877-778-2222
- : 800-552-3904
Listen Live:
Listen live on 海角精品黑料.com, on the or by tuning in to 103.5 FM.
海角精品黑料’s Chantalle Edmunds and Nahal Amouzadeh contributed to this report.
