Although the ground in parts of Arlington has yet to become snow-covered, forecasters say the storm is intensifying and should soon start accumulating here.

Also called Presidents Day, the holiday marks the end of a string of winter federal holidays. The next federal holiday is Memorial Day, on May 27.

In Arlington, all courts, schools, libraries and county offices will be closed. All community centers will be closed, with the exception of the Barcroft Community Center, which will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The Wakefield, Washington-Lee and Yorktown pools will be open on a holiday schedule. Monday marks the last day before the pools start their spring schedule.

ART buses will operate on a holiday schedule. Metrorail and buses will operate on a Saturday schedule. Parking meters will not be enforced.

Trash and recycling collection will proceed as normal.

(Updated at 8:50 a.m.)

In addition to accidents, police scanner traffic indicates dozens of drivers skidding and nearly spinning out on the slippery roads. There are also numerous reports of vehicles getting stuck, particularly in hilly areas. Police report some drivers not paying attention closely enough and running into other vehicles, or even running over flares that are marking existing traffic problems. Drivers are reminded to slow down and use extra caution.

All Arlington Public Schools will open two hours late and the Extended Day program will open two hours late. Morning field trips are canceled. All APS administrative offices and the pools will open on time.

The Office of Personnel Management confirms that federal agencies are open, but employees have the option for unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework. Arlington County government is opening on time, but workers have the option for unscheduled leave or telework, with supervisor approval.

The following closures and schedule alterations are in effect for the Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation:

• All Preschool programs are cancelled.
• All senior centers will open at noon, but lunch programs and transportation service at Walter Reed, Langston-Brown and Arlington Mill at Fairlington are cancelled.
• All Enjoy Arlington classes and nature center programs scheduled to start prior to 11:59 am are cancelled in all buildings. All Enjoy Arlington classes and nature center programs with scheduled start time of noon or later will proceed as scheduled.
• All joint use facilities Drew, Carver, Gunston, Langston, and Thomas Jefferson Community Center will open at 10:00 a.m. Barcroft, Lee, Madison, Dawson Terrace, Lubber Run, Fairlington and Walter Reed center hours and programs will proceed as scheduled.

The Department of Environmental Services reports that crews are currently working to treat all primary (red) and secondary (blue) roads on the snow map, and expect to move into the neighborhoods later in the day. DES offers the following tips:

• Do not drive unless necessary so roads will be open for emergency and snow removal vehicles.
• Help your neighbors clean the sidewalk on the same side of the street as parked cars to increase pedestrian safety.
• Keep snow cleared from fire hydrants, storm drains and downspouts on your home.

The National Weather Service’s Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect until 9:00 a.m.

The closures will be in effect on December 24, 25, 31 and January 1, for Arlington County offices, libraries and human services offices. Courts are also closed those days; Arlington Circuit Court will be open from 1:00-4:00 p.m. on December 26, and Arlington General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts will be open from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on December 26.

The ART Information Center and all Commuter Stores will be closed on the previously mentioned four days. On December 24 and 31, ART 41, 42, 51, 77 and 87 will run on a Saturday schedule. On December 25 and January 1, ART 41 and 51 will run on a Sunday schedule. The STAR Call Center will be closed all four days and all standing order rides will be cancelled.

Barcroft Sports and Fitness Center will be open from 6:00 a.m.-noon on December 24 and December 31; all other community centers will be closed. On December 25 and January 1, all community centers, including Barcroft, will be closed.

Arlington Public Schools will be closed from December 24-January 2.

Trash and recycling schedules are as follows:

Dec 24 & 31

• Trash & recycling: normal operations
• Special collection: brush, metal, electronics – normal operations
• No cart repair or mulch delivery service
• Leaf bag collection – normal operations

Dec 25 & Jan 1

• Trash & recycling: regular services not provided. Services available for Tuesday customers on Wed 12/26 and Jan 2
• Special collection: scheduled services not provided
• Leaf bag, brush, metal, electronics, cart repair services available for Tuesday customers on Wed Dec 26 and Jan 2
• Call Center: closed

Dec 26 – 28

• Trash & recycling: normal operations – all services completed by COB 12/29
• Special collection: normal operations – all services completed by COB 12/19
• Call center: normal operations

Jan 2-4

• Trash & recycling: normal operations – all services completed by COB 1/5
• Special collection: normal operations – all services competed by COB 1/5
• Call center: normal operations

Metrorail will run on a regular weekday schedule on December 24. It will be open from 7:00 a.m.-midnight on December 25 and January 1, and will run on a Sunday schedule. MetroAccess subscription trips are cancelled for those two days. On December 31, Metrorail will run on a normal weekdays schedule, but will remain open until 2:00 a.m. to accommodate those celebrating New Year’s Eve.

All Arlington County courts, libraries, public schools, and administrative offices will be closed on Monday, Nov. 12.

The county’s three indoor swimming pools will be open under holiday hours. Metro and ART will be operating under a holiday schedule. Trash and leaf collection will proceed as normal.

Veterans Day became a U.S. holiday in 1919 to commemorate the end of World War I. The ceasefire that ended the war’s major hostilities took effect at 11:00 a.m. on 11/11/18.

The Veterans Day National Ceremony will take place at Arlington National Cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.

Local veterans organizations will also be holding a Veterans Day ceremony on Sunday. From 1:00 to 1:30 p.m., there will be a remembrance ceremony at the Clarendon War Memorial at the intersection of Wilson, Clarendon and Washington Boulevards.

“Each year veterans from Arlington County’s Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion gather at the Clarendon War Memorial to remember local service members lost in past conflicts,” organizers said. The event will also remember an Arlington service member killed in action this year.

“There will be a special wreath presented in honor of Lance Corporal Niall Coti-Sears,” organizers said. “Lance Corporal Coti-Sears was killed in action in June of this year and is the first Arlingtonian to be lost in the Afghanistan war. Members of the public are encouraged to attend.”

Flickr pool photo by ameschen

Update at 7:25 p.m. — The number of Dominion customers without power in Arlington is up to 16,828.

(Updated at 6:10 p.m.) More than 5,800 Dominion customers are without power in Arlington as of 6:05 p.m. as the strongest winds from Hurricane Sandy have started to arrive in the area.

Twitter users have been reporting power outages in the Buckingham area, in Westover Village, Lyon Park and in Crystal City, among other areas. Another large outage is being reported by Dominion in the far northeastern corner of Arlington County. Power has also been flickering in the Ballston, Clarendon, Courthouse and Pentagon City areas.

Wind gusts have been picking up over the past hour. Numerous reports of trees and wires down around the county have been pouring in to Arlington’s Emergency Communications Center. Currently, firefighters are on the scene of a tree that fell into a house, causing significant damage, on the 4800 block of 26th Street N. in the Yorktown area (pictured, left). No injuries were reported.

Additional calls for trees falling onto houses and are being dispatched. A large tree fell into the intersection of 5th Street S. and S. Harrison Street, according to firefighters on the scene.

Arlington County announced today that all county offices, libraries, courts, schools, community centers and nature centers will be closed on Tuesday. ART bus service has also been suspended on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy @CAPT258

Among the closures are county government offices, courts, DMV Select offices, the Department of Human Services, libraries, and public schools.

Community centers are closed, with the exception of Barcroft, which is open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Washington-Lee High School pool is also open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Wakefield and Yorktown pools are open from noon to 6:00 p.m.

ART buses are operating on a holiday schedule. Trash pickup is proceeding on a normal schedule.

ARLnow.com will be monitoring any possible breaking news stories but will be on a limited publishing schedule.

Arlington’s administrative offices, public libraries, courts, schools and nature centers will be closed on Monday, Sept. 3. Community centers will be closed, with the exception of Barcroft, which will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

County pools will be open under a modified schedule. The Wakefield High School pool will be open from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Labor Day. The Yorktown pool will also be open from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m., and the Washington-Lee pool will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

ART buses will operate under a holiday schedule. Trash and recycling collection will continue as normal.

One county office that will remain open is the Arlington voting office, at 2100 Clarendon Blvd. The office will be open on Saturday, Sept. 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for absentee voting in the 45th District House of Delegates special election. The office will also be open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Labor Day for “legal requirements.”

The election — 45th District voters will have the choice of candidates Tim McGhee (R), Rob Krupicka (D) and Justin R. Malkin (L) — is taking place on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

Courts, DMV facilities, human services offices, libraries, public schools and administrative offices will be closed.

No recreational classes are scheduled and all community centers will be closed, with the exception of the Barcroft Sports and Fitness Center, which will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

ART 41, 42, 51, and 87 bus routes will run on a Saturday schedule. All other routes will not operate. Parking meters, meanwhile, will not be enforced.

Trash and recycling collections will continue normal operations, but the county trash call center will be closed.

Weekend Closure Times Revised — Some of the times of this weekend’s Christmas closures have been revised. Arlington County government offices will now close at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, while county libraries will close at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. [Arlington County]

Dem Caucus Date Revised — Democratic candidates for County Board are scrambling after the newly-chosen special election date forced the Arlington County Democratic Committee to move up its caucuses, which will choose the party’s nominee for Barbara Favola’s former County Board seat. Originally scheduled for Feb. 2 and 4, the caucus is now expected to be held on Jan. 19 and 21. [Sun Gazette]

Flickr pool photo by Christaki