Fairfax County Public Schools will change up its schedule tomorrow (Monday) in anticipation of potentially severe weather, including thunderstorms and even possible tornadoes.
Instead of the more typical two-hour delayed opening, however, FCPS has announced that schools and administrative offices will close three hours early, forcing many families to scramble for last-minute child care plans.
“Should the forecast change and it becomes unsafe to release students early, we will hold them until a safe release is possible,” FCPS said. “We will provide families with updates if this is the case.”
The National Weather Service hasn’t issued any alerts for Fairfax County or the D.C. region yet, but it is currently forecasting a 60 to 80% chance of precipitation tomorrow, with showers and thunderstorms particularly likely after 4 p.m.
The agency’s Storm Prediction Center has classified the risk of severe weather in the Mid-Atlantic region tomorrow as “moderate” due in part to a cold front that will hit the East Coast after bringing “widespread blizzard conditions” to the country’s Midwest and Great Lakes regions.
“The combination of the vigorous dynamics ahead of the potent [cold] front and maximum daytime heating will be ripe for eruption of severe weather, especially across interior Mid-Atlantic late Monday afternoon into early evening,” the NWS said. “A wave of low pressure tracking rapidly up the East Coast along the front will provide additional instability for the already volatile situation. Please stay weather alert on the upcoming severe weather potentials from the east-central U.S. to the East Coast.”
Possible risks include wind gusts of up to 80 mph that could knock down power lines and trees, possibly even conjuring tornadoes, Fairfax County said on its emergency blog.
“The bottom line: stay weather-aware starting Monday morning, and plan to be indoors by early afternoon,” the county said.
The cold front will also drop temperatures back down into the 40s later this coming week.
More from FCPS on the changes to tomorrow’s school schedule:
- Morning preschool and special education classes are dismissed at approximately 10 a.m.
- Full-day preschool, special education, and Early Head Start/PreK classes are dismissed three hours earlier than the usual time.
- Afternoon preschool (special education) classes are canceled.
- Late buses are canceled.
- Homebound instruction will end by 1 p.m.
The following activities in schools and on school grounds are canceled:
- Extracurricular activities.
- Interscholastic contests.
- Team practices.
- Field trips.
- Middle school after-school programs.
- Professional learning and training courses.
- Adult and Community Education (ACE) classes.
- Recreation programs and community use by outside groups not affiliated with FCPS.
Families with students in School Age Child Care (SACC) and Beyond the Bell (BTB) centers will hear directly from those programs about plans for tomorrow.
In accordance with Regulation 4810, employees designated as essential personnel should follow supervisor direction. Emergency administrative leave is authorized for all other personnel.
You can find more information about how FCPS prepares for severe weather on the FCPS Weather Safety page. In addition, Fairfax County has a list of what families should consider when preparing for severe weather.
Sincerely,
Fairfax County Public Schools
