Traffic

Arlington is a winter wonderland, but roads are in decent shape

Snow on the Yorktown High School sign announcing winter break (Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann)

Update at 12:45 p.m. — Roughly half or more of Arlington’s neighborhood streets have been cleared, according to the county’s snow removal map. ART bus routes are returning to normal service levels.

Earlier: It’s a snow day in Arlington, but getting around is not quite as treacherous as on Monday.

A smaller storm and more time to prepare have contributed to a much different situation on the roads.

About three inches of snow accumulation has been reported in Arlington — officially, 2.6 inches at National Airport — but cold temperatures have kept the snow light and fluffy. That compares to the 6.5-10 inches of snow from Monday’s storm, which started as rain and left a heavy wet layer of snow at the bottom.

Most primary and secondary routes seen on traffic cameras were clear as of 8:30 a.m.

Since 8 a.m., few significant traffic-related issues have been reported on police and fire radios.

Arlington County’s snow response remain in Phase 2 at last check, meaning crews are currently focusing on primary and secondary roads, leaving local roads snow-covered. Traffic cameras show visible pavement on most primary and secondary routes.

Bus service is running this morning, but on severe weather schedules. Both Arlington Transit and Metro have suspended a number of routes. The ART routes suspended as of publication include 53, 61, 62, 74, 75 and 84.

Arlington Public Schools are closed today for the fifth day in a row, joining other major local school systems in declaring Friday a snow day, while Arlington County government facilities will open today on a delay, at 10 a.m.

The rest of Friday is expected to be cold and windy, with a high near 30 and gusts up to 33 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann