Countywide

Cold Weather Advisory issued for Fairfax, prolonging hazardous travel conditions

By Angela Woolsey
Town of Vienna snow plow clearing road during Winter Storm Fern (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A Cold Weather Advisory has been issued for Fairfax County, suggesting the icy conditions currently slowing travel across the region could continue for a while.

The advisory is set to take effect at 7 p.m. tonight (Monday) and stay in place until 11 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday). Current forecasts indicate that temperatures could remain below freezing through the rest of this week, with highs topping out at 24 degrees on Wednesday (Jan. 28).

More from the National Weather Service:

COLD WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 P.M. MONDAY TO 11 A.M. EST TUESDAY.

* WHAT…Very cold wind chills as low as 5 to 8 below zero expected.

* WHERE…Portions of DC, central, northeast, northern, and southern Maryland, and central, northern, and northwest Virginia.

* WHEN…From 7 PM Monday to 11 AM EST Tuesday.

* IMPACTS…The cold wind chills as low as 5 to 8 below zero could result in hypothermia if precautions are not taken.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Additional Cold Weather Headlines are expected at times through the end of the week as the region remains in an Arctic Airmass.

Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves.

Keep pets indoors as much as possible.

Make sure outdoor animals have a warm, dry shelter, food, and unfrozen water.

Icy conditions slow travel, close facilities

After frigid temperatures turned much of the snow and sleet brought yesterday (Sunday) by Winter Storm Fern into ice overnight, Fairfax County and Virginia officials continue to urge residents to stay off the roads, if possible, so snow plows can work without interference.

“With the extremity of this storm and the need for special equipment to move snow in subdivisions, crews are working to make all neighborhood roads passable over the next several days,” the county said in an emergency blog post.

The progress of Virginia Department of Transportation plows can be tracked in close to real time online. While VDOT manages most Fairfax County roads, property management companies and homeowners’ associations are responsible for removing snow on private streets, the county noted.

In addition, homeowners are expected to clear snow from any sidewalks along their property. The county also encourages people to remove snow from nearby fire hydrants, bus stops, bike trails, paths that lead to schools and other community buildings, storm drains and parking spaces for people with disabilities.

Tips for shoveling snow safely include pushing when possible instead of lifting, taking breaks as needed, and avoiding shoveling if you have a history of heart disease without the support of a doctor.

“If you or someone you are with begins to have chest discomfort, call or text 9-1-1 right away,” the county says.

As of 11 a.m., the Virginia State Police had responded to 475 crashes across the Commonwealth since snow began falling late Saturday night (Jan. 24). That includes 56 crashes in Northern Virginia, four of them resulting in injuries and one fatality, though police determined that occurred before the storm.

A second fatal crash occurred last night (Sunday) in Pittsylvania County. Investigations into both fatal crashes are still underway.

Given the challenging travel conditions, transit service in the D.C. region is limited this morning.

Fairfax Connector and Fairfax City’s CUE Bus service both announced yesterday that they would suspend service for a second consecutive day, and as of 10 a.m., Metro was only operating four routes — three in D.C. and one in Maryland — designated as priorities for access to hospitals and other “life-sustaining facilities.”

The transit agency says more routes may be restored as roads are cleared and drivers become available. Updates for specific routes will be posted on Metro’s website.

Metrorail is in service, but trains are currently running only every 30 minutes.

“Operations teams are working to safely increase train frequency as conditions improve,” the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said. “To support service reliability, scheduled track work planned for tonight has been canceled.”

In addition to giving Fairfax County Public Schools students a snow day, the lingering effects of yesterday’s snowstorm have shuttered most public facilities in the county, including health centers, community centers, libraries and parks.

As of 9 a.m., Inova’s hospitals and urgent care centers were open, but outpatient offices remained closed to in-person appointments. Many specialty facilities, including physical therapy centers and cancer outpatient locations, are closed for the day as well.

“To help keep everyone safe, Inova outpatient offices (primary and specialty care) are converting Monday, January 26, in‑person appointments to virtual visits when possible and assisting patients who need to reschedule,” the nonprofit health system said.

George Mason University has canceled all in-person classes and events on its campuses today.

Dominion Energy says the accumulated ice was lower than forecast, so it saw fewer power outages during yesterday’s storm than expected. As of 10:50 a.m., Fairfax County had only about 13 customers without power due to scattered outages in Reston, Fair Oaks and Great Falls, per the utility’s outage map.

In total, approximately 48,000 customers were affected by Winter Storm Fern yesterday and overnight, over 85% of whom have had their power restored, according to Dominion.

The utility noted that additional outages are still possible today from wind gusts and built-up ice weighing down trees. The ongoing icy road conditions and fallen trees could prolong restoration work.

More from Dominion Energy:

  • The Dominion Energy mobile app is the best way to report outages and track restoration. Individual estimated restoration times are being updated as crews assess damage at each location. We ask for our customers’ patience as it takes time for crews to assess damage at each location and provide restoration times. This process ensures the most accurate estimate possible. Customers may also report outages on the Dominion Energy website or by calling 866-DOM-HELP.
  • For your safety, please stay away from downed power lines.  If you see a downed pole or wire, please report it by calling 866-DOM-HELP and stay at least 30 feet away. The line could be energized and dangerous.
  • Extremely cold temperatures are expected across our service territory for the next several days. Our system is fully prepared to reliably serve increased demand, and it has performed well over the last several days. We are closely coordinating with our regional grid operator PJM and peer utilities in the region to ensure the increased power demand is reliably met. Prior to the cold weather, we inspected our equipment, tested critical facilities, and completed planned maintenance to ensure all parts of our system are fully operational.

About the Author

  • Angela Woolsey is the site editor for FFXnow. A graduate of George Mason University, she worked as a general assignment reporter for the Fairfax County Times before joining Local News Now as the Tysons Reporter editor in 2020.