The mere sprinkling of snow that visited Fairfax County on Saturday (Feb. 8) might’ve been a prelude to a legitimate storm expected tomorrow (Tuesday).
Anticipating potential “heavy snow,” the National Weather Service has upgraded a watch issued yesterday to a Winter Storm Warning for the D.C. region that’s currently set to be in place from 1 p.m. tomorrow until 7 a.m. Wednesday morning (Feb. 12).
With the warning, the NWS is now projecting between 4 and 8 inches of snow accumulation, up from an earlier prediction of 4 and 6 inches. That could put the coming storm on par with the one that visited the region on Jan. 6 and left local roads and sidewalks treacherous for days.
“Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning commutes,” the NWS said in its alert, advising anyone who has to travel to “keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.”
The snowfall is expected to be heaviest late Tuesday afternoon into the evening, when 1 to 2 inches could fall per hour. The snow will likely turn into a wintry mix on Wednesday, becoming rain that night.
If more than 3.8 inches of snow fall, it would be the most snow that D.C. has gotten in February since 2015, according to the Capital Weather Gang.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency this morning in advance of the coming winter storm, enabling a statewide Virginia Emergency Support Team to coordinate the response and move resources.
“I urge all Virginians to monitor your local forecast and to prepare for possible impacts to roadways and infrastructure beginning overnight Monday throughout Tuesday,” Youngkin said.
The northern section of the George Washington Memorial Parkway from I-495 in McLean to Spout Run in Arlington will close at midnight for the duration of the storm, the National Park Service announced at 12:39 p.m. today.
“This closure is necessary to ensure the proper treatment of the roadway and to restore the parkway to safe travel conditions,” the park service said. “Crews will work diligently to treat the road for safe passage of drivers. Drivers should anticipate delays in reopening the northern section of the parkway as crews are required to use smaller equipment than usual to accommodate the lane widths and configurations.”
The Town of Herndon urged residents and businesses to move vehicles off of streets so its snow plows can have a clear path. The town also announced this afternoon that its crews won’t be collecting trash on Wednesday, “non-essential” employees will get liberal leave starting at noon tomorrow, and the Herndon Town Council’s meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening has been canceled.
See the full Winter Storm Warning below.
…WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM TUESDAY TO 7 AM EST
WEDNESDAY…* WHAT…Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations between 4 to 8 inches.
* WHERE…The District of Columbia, central and southern Maryland, and central and northern Virginia.
* WHEN…From 1 PM Tuesday to 7 AM EST Wednesday.
* IMPACTS…Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning commutes. now will overspread the area late Tuesday morning into Tuesday afternoon, with the steadiest snow expected late Tuesday afternoon and evening. A light wintry mix may continue into Wednesday, but little to no additional accumulation is expected.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Snowfall rates around 1 to 2 inches per hour are possible late Tuesday afternoon and evening.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.
