We know the drill by now. As the latest snow storm to blanket the Washington area arrived tonight, the plows were already out. The roadways were less busy. Pedestrians were wearing boots and heavy coats. And the grocery stores that hadn’t closed early were already picked clean of many items.
That’s right, we’re getting pretty good at this. More photos, after the jump.
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It’s getting really bad out there.
From scanner reports: Courthouse Road is an “ice rink” between the ramp from Route 50 and 13th St N. Police are shutting it down.
In a stark reversal of a recent trend, the snow has caused something that was supposed to be closed to instead remain open.
The Rosslyn and Arlington Cemetery Metro stations were supposed to be closed all weekend due to track work and an emergency exercise. Instead, the exercise and the maintenance have been postponed indefinitely, and both stations will be open throughout President’s Day Weekend.
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Arlington County schools are closed again on Wednesday. “Extracurricular activities, interscholastic contests, team practices, field trips, adult and community education classes, and recreation programs in schools and on school grounds are canceled,” according to the Arlington Public Schools web site. Pools and school offices will also be closed. Here’s part of an email sent to parents by superintendent Patrick K. Murphy:
Dear Parents:
As the first wet flakes of the area’s latest snow storm begin falling, Arlington County is warning that “efforts to clear neighborhood roads will be set back, possibly by days.”
“Snoverkill,” as the storm is now being called, will dump another 7-14 inches of sleet and snow on the region, according to the National Weather Service. But the real danger may be the wind.
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Lost Dog Café, which last year added a South Arlington location on Columbia Pike, is close to signing a lease for a storefront on Colshire Drive in McLean. And they’re not stopping there.
Lost Dog’s expansion is being undertaken not by the owners of the original restaurant, but by four friends who used to work there as teenagers.
Arlington’s Emergency Winter Shelter has been helping homeless individuals weather this year’s brutal winter storms. Now the folks running the shelter need our help. A-SPAN, the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network, announced on Facebook this morning that the shelter is running low on food, specifically cereal, snacks, bread and jelly.
If you have any to spare, call the shelter at 703-228-7395.
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U.S. Park Police have released a series of beautiful photos showing the aftermath of this weekend’s snow storm. The photos were taken by Rescue Technician/Paramedic Sergeant Klebaner while on-board Park Police Helicopter Eagle 1 on Sunday. The chopper was making surveillance runs over some of the harder-to-get areas patrolled by the Park Police.
Among the photos are views of Reagan National Airport and Arlington National Cemetery.
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The county has released a new video introducing us to the people behind the plows. Here’s what we learned:
Watch the video for yourself, after the jump.
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Update at 8:05 PM – Arlington County government is closed tomorrow.
Update at 7:30 PM – The federal government is also closed tomorrow.
VDOT is currently working on clearing snow from the I-395 South ramp to Route 1. Drivers should be extra cautious when driving in the area.