(Updated at 1:45 p.m.) This weekend’s coastal storm is expected to fall as mostly rain in Arlington, but the county is preparing just in case.
If you were among the 76% of ARLnow readers to predict less than an inch of snow in Wednesday’s poll, congratulations — one day out, the forecasters agree with you. The storm is currently expected to start as snow Saturday morning, leaving maybe a coating of accumulation locally before switching to sleet and heavy rain.
In case you haven’t heard already, we may be getting snow this weekend.
There’s broad agreement among weather forecasters that a storm is on tap for Saturday into Sunday, though the big debate is how much of the precipitation will fall as snow in the D.C. area. As is often the case, our area is around the predicted transition from snow to rain.
The National Park Service is warning commuters of potential shutdowns of the GW Parkway in the event of winter weather
The northern portion of the George Washington Memorial Parkway will close in advance of storms forecasting two or more inches of snow and any amount of freezing rain or ice, NPS said in a press release Wednesday. The road will close four hours before the forecasted start of the storm and drivers will need to seek alternate routes.
Some potentially unwelcome news if you’re a K-12 student in Virginia: some in the legislature want to effectively end snow days.
From our Alexandria sister site ALXnow:
NBC 4 Chief Meteorologist Doug Kammerer revealed his annual winter forecast last night — and it was disappointing if you like snow.
Doug is calling for a measly 1-6 inches of snow during the entire winter in Arlington and D.C. He believes it will be an unusually warm and wetter than average winter, making for plenty of cold rain but very little snow.
Update at 3 p.m. — Snow is starting to taper off. Roads are mostly clear, after just over an inch of snow fell on Arlington.
Update at 9 a.m. — Snow continues to fall amid strong winds, reducing visibility and causing slick conditions on some paved surfaces. All lanes of westbound I-66 are currently closed at Spout Run due to a crash. It’s unclear whether the crash is weather related.
Get ready for a wintry and windy Saturday.
A Winter Weather Advisory and Wind Advisory, both of which take effect Saturday morning, were just issued for Arlington. Forecasters expect wind gusts up to 55 mph and snow accumulation of 2-4 inches as a storm system moves up the East Coast.
Wet, Windy, Snowy Saturday on Tap — “A powerful storm system will cross the region Saturday. We are likely to see winds gusting over 50 mph Saturday, along with very low wind chills by Saturday night. We remain uncertain about snowfall, as the cold air will be chasing the precip — a wide range remains possible.” [Twitter, Capital Weather Gang]
Firefighters Union Wins Vote — “For the first time in more than FOUR DECADES — a public sector union will have the right to negotiate a contract with Arlington County. And it wasn’t just a win — it was a BLOWOUT.” [Facebook, Twitter]
Arlington is expected to get 1-2 inches of snow tomorrow, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a Winter Weather Advisory this morning.
The advisory cautions against slippery conditions on local roads as a result of the snow, which is expected to start falling overnight. The snow should wrap up before the kickoff of the Super Bowl Sunday evening.
Preservation Legislation Shuffled — “After a subcommittee approved a measure being sought to give preservation advocates an additional voice in decisions made at the local level, but simultaneously stripped out some key provisions of the bill, its sponsor made a request. Would the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns, where the measure was being considered, agree to move the bill to the Committee on Courts of Justice, Del. Patrick Hope asked.” [Sun Gazette]
Don’t Drive Drunk on Super Bowl Sunday — “To keep spectators safe on the roads, the Arlington County Police Department is teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to remind football fans everywhere that Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk… in 2019, there were 10,142 people killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes throughout the United States.” [ACPD]
New Organ Debuts Tomorrow — “The new organ [at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Virginia Square] cost $1.2 million… Opus 28 arrived in Arlington on Oct. 3, 2021. For three weeks, Pasi put together the 500,000 parts that constitute it. He spent the next two months ‘voicing’ the organ: doing the painstaking adjustments necessary to make everything sound just right.” [Washington Post]
Reminder: Pizza Boxes Can Be Composted — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “There’s No ‘I’ in Food Scraps: Arlington viewers of ‘The Big Game’ can give 110% and go all in in the green curbside cart: pizza crusts and boxes, wing bones and greasy napkins. You won’t be denied.” [Twitter]
