The severe winter storm expected to arrive tonight in Northern Virginia will likely bring days of slippery conditions on Arlington’s streets and sidewalks, authorities warn.
A Winter Storm Warning goes into effect at 11 p.m. tonight ahead of around 6-10 inches of expected snow, sleet and ice. Up to 14 inches of accumulation is possible in the region, with snow expected to turn to sleet tomorrow morning and freezing rain by Sunday evening, according to the Capital Weather Gang.
Authorities are continuing to urge motorists to stay off the roads if at all possible during the storm. Even on public transit, Metro is warning passengers to travel only if necessary due to anticipated “hazardous conditions, delays, suspensions, and increased wait time.”
County Manager Mark Schwartz is warning Arlington residents to expect “at least 48 hours” before the county moves beyond a triage phase focused on main roadways and gets to neighborhood streets.
“Even after treatment, residential streets are probably only going to be passable with one lane, and you may not see bare pavement,” he said at today’s County Board meeting.
Since it will likely be at least a week before Arlington gets above freezing temperatures, “whatever we get, it’s going to be with us for a while,” Schwartz said, adding that “we’re going to have crews working around the clock.”
Trash collection scheduled for Monday has already been cancelled.
State and federal resources have also been mobilizing ahead of what is expected to be the D.C. area’s most impactful winter storm in a decade.
“We are in preparation for what we are anticipating to be a catastrophic storm,” Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said at a press conference today (Saturday).
President Donald Trump has approved an emergency declaration, and representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are on the ground in Virginia, Spanberger said. The Virginia Department of Transportation has finished pretreating roads, while the Virginia National Guard is in position to assist with removing debris and transporting people where necessary.
The governor warned of “significant and extended power outages” even after the snowfall has ended due to wind, ice and freezing temperatures.
The National Weather Service warns of “significant icing,” especially south of Route 50, and visibility of a quarter mile or less at times. Wind chills in the teens and single digits are expected to continue this evening and last through the middle of next week, sometimes dipping into sub-zero real-feel temperatures.
Federal offices in the D.C. area will be closed on Monday. Reagan National Airport is still monitoring conditions but warns that “flight delays and cancellations are likely — especially from Saturday evening into Sunday and possibly beyond.”
All Arlington Public Schools buildings will close at 5 p.m. today and remain closed all day tomorrow, meaning all activities in schools and on school grounds will be canceled. So far, there’s no word on whether school will be cancelled on Monday, for what’s already a shortened week for APS students (Friday is a grade preparation day).
VHC Health’s Medical Group practices will be closed on Monday and in-person appointments will be rescheduled to a virtual visit or a later date. The hospital and emergency department remain open 24/7.
Meanwhile, the shelves at some Arlington grocery stores have been largely cleared out of many staples like milk, eggs and meat — though many have remained well stocked, for the most part.
The only thing Clarendon Whole Foods was out of last night was tomahawk steaks #snow pic.twitter.com/zun65OzU8a
— Steph ❤️🔥 (@stephaniedmv) January 24, 2026
Schwartz asked residents to “do their best” to clear accumulations of snow and ice, but anticipated some flexibility on enforcing the county’s snow ordinance.
“My view is it’s impractical and really unfair to penalize people for an inability to remove inches of ice from sidewalks in front of their homes,” he said.
To assist snowplows, Arlington residents who live on narrow streets and cul-de-sacs are asked to do the following:
- Avoid Street Parking: Removing vehicles from on-street parking during a storm is the best course of action for a narrow road and really helps the plows.
- Coordinate with Neighbors: If you can’t move your car from the street, coordinating with neighbors to park all residential vehicles on only one side of a narrow road is the second best option.
- Shovel Away From Street: When shoveling snow, keeping it out of the roadway will help prevent potential hazards and make it easier for clean-up.
Senior Reporter Scott McCaffrey contributed to this story
