Arlington Public Schools will be closed Friday. The Arlington County government will be open, with a liberal leave policy for staff.
The Montessori School of Northern Virginia in Falls Church will also be closed tomorrow. And the Diocese of Arlington’s Catholic Charities Ball has been postponed.
Some hardy souls may try to drive this weekend, despite pleas from local governments for drivers to stay off the road. If you absolutely, positively must drive, you’re likely to encounter a few salt trucks along the way. For many drivers, the exact rules of engagement around slow-moving salt trucks is unclear. Do you pass? How close to you get? To help shed some light, here are some salt truck safety tips, as emailed to arlnow.com from the county’s Department of Environmental Services:
Snow Operations Tips: Roadway Safety
This is starting to sound very familiar: a major snowstorm is heading our way, just in time for the weekend. The storm is looking increasingly likely to be on par with the impact of the Dec. 19 “Snowpocalypse.” Most forecasters are predicting a minimum of 10 inches, with up to two feet possible. The fact that the snow is supposed to start around midday Friday should help facilitate an early start to the weekend for many.
Meanwhile, the state and the county have gone into full-blown end-of-the-world mode. Yesterday Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell declared what is likely his first state of emergency (mazel tov!), a full two days ahead of the storm. Arlington County, not to be outdone, is warning of “near blizzard conditions” and asking residents to be prepared to shelter in place for 3 to 5 days. From the Arlington Alerts:
Update at 11:30 AM: Check out some great winter photos taken by the staff at Arlington National Cemetery.
It’s a beautiful, snow-covered morning. Enjoy it before we warm up today and the 3-4 inches of snow we received turns into a dirty,slushy mess.
South Arlington has about 1.75 inches of snow on the ground as of 10:15 PM. Big, heavy flakes are falling, and there’s no sign of it slowing down any time soon.
Partially due to pre-treating of roads, partially because of higher temperatures, the roads are still somewhat clear.
With the first flakes beginning to fall, county snow removal crews are getting ready to tackle yet another significant snow storm. The National Weather Service is calling for 3-6 inches of snow, with the heaviest snowfall between 10:00 PM and 4:00 AM tonight.
The county says about 45 snow plows will be put into service tonight. Crews will work in 12-hour shifts to try to get streets cleared in time for the morning rush. Since first priority is given to the most heavily-traveled roads, expect most residential streets to be at least partially snow-covered.
A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for our area tonight. Current predictions are calling for rain changing to snow, with 2-4 inches of accumulation by tomorrow morning. And another snow storm may be brewing for this weekend.
The Capital Weather Gang notes that we seem to be in the midst of a cold and abnormally snowy weather pattern. So, at least this year, chalk one up for the Prognosticator of Prognosticators.
Snow is tapering off, but many major roads remain snow covered. Around 6:00 tonight, Arlington Police shut down the Hayes St. on-ramp to I-395 due to treacherous conditions. Earlier, traffic […]
Police have temporarily shut down all lanes of I-395 South between Hayes Street and Arlington Ridge Road due to snowy conditions. Meanwhile, I-66 has reopened at Spout Run after an earlier accident.
Update @ 2:16 PM – Traffic cameras show snow plows working to clear portions of I-395 South. Police are reopening lanes, but may take some time for the backlog to clear out. Traffic is currently backed up on I-395 South past the Pentagon.
Arlington County public libraries are closing at 3:00 PM today due to weather.
As snow continues to fall across the region, Arlington County Police are reporting numerous vehicle accidents and disabled vehicles. Be careful out there.
