Update at 8 a.m. — Thousands of Arlington residents are waking up to no electricity this morning. The number of outages in Arlington is only down to around 4,900. Marymount University is still without power and portions of the Rosslyn/Courthouse area, including traffic signals at some busy intersection, are dark.
Numerous trees, power lines and utility poles are said to be down across parts of Arlington, primarily in north Arlington. Several transformer fires have also been reported.
Arlington and much of the D.C. area is under a High Wind Watch tonight through Monday.
The National Weather Service says wind gusts of up to 60 mph are possible and could result in downed trees, branches and power lines.
The weekend is here after a busy week that boomeranged from springlike warmth and sunshine to rain, wind and freezing temperatures.
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The winds are already causing tree branches to fall and at least one significant power outage in Arlington. Forecasters are warning of gusts around 45 miles per hour through 6 p.m. tonight.
From the NWS:
For Arlington, that could mean some wet accumulating snow during the morning commute, forecasters say.
Locales north and west are likely to get the most snow, but VDOT is warning of the possibility of a tough commute.
The National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory Sunday afternoon, warning of around one inch of snow.
From NWS:
Arlington County is under a Wind Advisory until 7 p.m. tonight.
The National Weather Service cautions that gusty winds could down trees, tree limbs and power lines. From NWS:
The wind and rain today is the result of a nor’easter — the kind of coastal storm that has, in years past, drenched the area with rain or covered it with snow.
From the National Weather Service:
County and VDOT crews are already pretreating roads ahead of the potentially snowy and slippery weather.
From NWS:
“Crews began pretreating roads yesterday and will continue today to prepare for the expected icy weather conditions on the roadways,” Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Katie O’Brien told ARLnow.com Friday morning.
“Due to the low confidence of this forecast, we are still analyzing the level of response that will be required” on Saturday, O’Brien continued. “A determination of resource levels and time of activation will be made this afternoon.”
All the salt spread on local roads and sidewalks for Thursday night’s snow non-event may come in handy after all.
The National Weather Service has included Arlington in a Winter Weather Advisory. Up to three inches of snow are expected to fall Saturday morning.
Arlington County brine trucks could be seen pretreating roads around Clarendon earlier this afternoon. VDOT, meanwhile, says it’s preparing for a potentially messy Thursday evening and Friday morning commute.
“Road crews are conducting anti-icing activities today and tomorrow,” VDOT said in a press release. “Please watch for crews as they stage along roads prior to the storm. Crews will treat roads with salt and sand as needed once the storm begins Thursday afternoon, plow in areas where and if snow totals reach two inches, and will remain on duty throughout the course of the storm.”
