Fairfax County has issued a local emergency declaration for Winter Storm Fern, enabling it to mobilize additional resources and seek outside assistance.
Expected to hit the D.C. region tonight (Saturday) and linger into early Monday morning (Jan. 26), the storm could bring “catastrophic” ice accumulation and “heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain,” totaling between seven and 14 inches, according to the National Weather Service. A Winter Storm Warning has been issued, starting at 11 p.m.
“This declaration allows the county to quickly mobilize resources, streamline coordination with state and regional partners, and take necessary actions to protect life, property and public safety,” Fairfax County said in an emergency blog post.
The county announced yesterday that all of its facilities, including parks, community centers and libraries, will close at 8 p.m. today and remain shuttered throughout Sunday. Police and other emergency services will remain on duty, and staff supporting local hypothermia shelters are also exempted.
In addition, a statewide emergency declaration issued by Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Thursday (Jan. 22) has now been approved by President Donald Trump, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide assistance to the state and localities.
“Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize and provide, at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency,” the agency said this morning in a press release. “Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program, will be provided at 75% federal funding.”
Faced with a potentially devastating storm, FEMA has suspended ongoing firings of disaster response and recovery workers. Approximately 300 employees have been let go so far in January because the Department of Homeland Security opted not to renew their contracts, CNN reported.
Prepare for power outages, travel delays
According to the Associated Press, forecasters believe the damage from Winter Storm Fern “could rival that of a hurricane,” particularly in areas hit hard by ice. Roughly 140 million people across the U.S. — amounting to over 40% of the country’s population — are under a winter storm warning.
Almost 10,000 flights across the country have been canceled, and more than 95,000 power outages have been reported, as of this morning, including 10,000 in Virginia, the AP says.
Dulles International Airport advises passengers with scheduled flights to check with their airline for status updates or to change their reservation, stating that delays and cancellations “are likely” this evening through Sunday “and possibly beyond.”
“The airport snow team will be standing by to treat runways as needed,” Dulles said in a snow advisory. “Specialized equipment will be used to clear runways as snow accumulates. At IAD, multiple runways provide the opportunity to keep one freshly cleared runway open for takeoffs and landings while others are temporarily closed for snow removal.”
It’s all fun and games until things start getting real. We are monitoring winter weather moving into the region this weekend. Please double-check your flight status with your airline if you are traveling. Check local road conditions before you head out.
Airport status details:… pic.twitter.com/L6hiMRvCw5
— Dulles Airport (IAD) (@Dulles_Airport) January 23, 2026
As of noon, Dominion Energy has 452 customers in Fairfax County without power. The outages appear to be concentrated in the Sully Square area of Chantilly, where power lines have been damaged, per the utility’s outage map.
The outage began around 4 a.m. when an equipment failure “that resulted in 2 broken cross arms and a couple of spans of wires” coming down, Dominion Energy Northern Virginia spokesperson Aisha Khan told FFXnow.
“Crews are on site now making repairs,” Khan said, noting that the number of affected customers has dropped from the peak of 6,103 at 4:10 a.m.
Dominion estimates that electricity will be restored between 1-4 p.m. — “probably closer to 4,” Khan says — just in time for the coming storm.
As part of the state emergency declaration, Fairfax County noted that residents may see Virginia National Guard service members in the area before, during and after the storm after they were activated by Spanberger.
“National Guard assets are staged within the county to provide assistance as needed,” Fairfax County said. “Guard members may be providing support to first responders with high-profile vehicles and heavy equipment, transporting essential emergency personnel, assisting with response calls and helping move critical resources through hazardous winter conditions.”
After pre-treating roads with brine yesterday, VDOT will have crews operating in 12-hour shifts and has assembled over 3,350 pieces just in Northern Virginia to help clear roads.
VDOT has a map where snow plow activities can be tracked in close to real time, and trees or other obstructions blocking roads can be reported online.
“Stay off the roads once snow starts and immediately after it ends,” VDOT advised. “Our crews will be staged along area roads and ready to begin plowing once two inches has accumulated, but it may take an extended period of time to enter neighborhoods as we treat in priority order from interstates, primaries, secondaries, and eventually neighborhood roads.”
Metro has canceled planned track work for this weekend and has crews preparing for at least 10 inches of snow, warning that heavy snow could lead to delays or suspensions of bus, rail and Metro Access service.
What happens when inclement weather hits our region? Here’s a quick look at the work we do across platforms, entrance and exit areas, walkways, parking lots, and more to keep customers moving safely across the system.
— Metro (@wmata.com) January 24, 2026 at 8:00 AM
The transit agency says it will make adjustments based on the total amount of snow, the rate of snowfall and other factors.
“Our team has been in full prep mode for this storm by staging equipment, supplies, and personnel,” Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke said in a press release. “We will provide as much service as safe conditions allow, but customers should stay tuned to Metro’s website and social channels and be prepared for possible service adjustments as conditions change.”
