It could be an icy Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
The National Weather Service just issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Arlington, the District of Columbia and other D.C. area locales.
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ice
Arlington County still hasn’t issued any citations for slippery sidewalks following last week’s snowstorm, despite widespread complaints and lingering ice.
Limited staff and logistical challenges have limited the county’s efforts to answer more than 600 resident complaints after the snowfall, Rachel LaPiana, a spokesperson for the Dept. of Community Planning, Housing and Development, told ARLnow.
Three days after the last snowflakes fell on Arlington, significant stretches of walkways around the county remain encased in ice.
Along sidewalks and crosswalks in front of businesses, single-family homes, townhouse developments and at least one county park, ARLnow braved the ice and snow yesterday and today (Thursday) to document numerous failures to comply with the county’s snow removal ordinance.
After a winter break extended by three consecutive snow days, Arlington Public Schools students are going back to class today, albeit on a delay.
APS announced the two-hour delay last night, shortly before Fairfax County Public Schools announced it would stay closed on Thursday. Loudoun County first announced a delay, then shifted to a closure.
Among other nearby school systems, Alexandria and Montgomery County are both on a two-hour delay, while D.C. schools are open on time for the second day in row.
When APS announced it was staying closed on Wednesday, the school system cited “persistent hazardous conditions on side streets, sidewalks and parking lots near our school sites.”
A student-created online petition showed photos of still-snow-covered roads and trails, and cited frigid wind chill temperatures today, in arguing that APS should remain closed Thursday and Friday.
The petition has garnered more than 6,750 online signatures.
“The school has recently announced a delayed start for the day,” an update post on the petition says. “While this is an improvement, we still believe that more can be done to ensure the safety of the APS community. Continue to sign this petition to show that we still don’t feel safe going to school.”
Given the current conditions and the actions of other jurisdictions, do you think APS made the right call today?
Be careful on the roads, sidewalks and trails this morning — icy spots are possible.
Freezing temperatures paired with damp conditions could result in slippery spots on pavement. Any ice is expected to melt as temperatures rise later this morning.
Arlington Public Schools will open on a two-hour delay on Thursday due to expected freezing rain, the school system just announced.
APS follows Fairfax County Public Schools in announcing a two hour delay tonight. Other Northern Virginia districts have announced weather plans ranging from two hour delays to closures.
Freezing rain will likely fall early Thursday, prompting a Winter Weather Advisory from the National Weather Service.
Arlington could see dangerous, icy conditions on local roads tomorrow morning, forecasters say. Eventually, the frozen precipitation will switch over to just plain rain as temperatures rise during the day.
Traffic Restricted on Deteriorating Bridge — “As a result of a bridge inspection today, Friday, March 25, engineers closed the existing southbound lane of the West Glebe Bridge between Arlington and Alexandria due to further degradation of structural beams. The northbound lane of the bridge over South Four Mile Run will remain open, making the bridge one-way to traffic and requiring a detour for southbound automobiles. The bridge’s maximum load rating of 5 tons will remain in place with a critical need for heavier vehicles – primarily buses and dump trucks — to comply for public safety.” [Arlington County]
Graupel Covers Fields, Prompts Tweets — An ice pellet downpour covered the ground in parts of Arlington on Saturday afternoon: “Well that was wild… heavy downpour rain and graupel swept through near Clarendon.” [Twitter, Twitter]
Pentagon City Plan Passes Unanimously — “The Arlington County Board adopted a new vision for a vibrant and livable Pentagon City, following an 18-month planning process. The Board voted 5-0 to approve the Pentagon City Sector Plan (PCSP) and its associated Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance amendments.” More than 110 people spoke at the Board’s meeting on Saturday, many of them opposed to a portion of the plan that would allow a significant increase in density on the RiverHouse property. [Arlington County]
Second HQ2 Phase Advancing — “PenPlace, the 3.2 million-square-foot second phase of Amazon.com Inc.’s second headquarters, has earned the key support of Arlington County staff as it heads into its final stretch of reviews. During the last Site Plan Review Committee meeting Thursday, Peter Schulz, a staffer with the Arlington planning division, said ‘staff has no major outstanding issues’ with regard to PenPlace’s architecture and landscape design.” [Washington Business Journal]
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Forecasters are warning of possible ice issues Tuesday morning.
After a rainy Monday, temperatures are expected to drop below freezing overnight. That could cause icy spots and hazardous driving conditions.
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Update at 3:10 p.m. — The ice threat has diminished, according to the National Weather Service:
…WINTER COMMUTING HAZARD STATEMENT IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT…
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Icy Conditions Possible This Morning — “The risk of dangerous driving conditions will continue Monday morning — after freezing rain coated parts of the D.C. region Sunday — with the potential for wet roads to refreeze overnight.” [WTOP, Twitter]
Mail Delivery Complaints in 22207 — The local Nextdoor social network was abuzz last week with mail delivery complaints from residents of northern Arlington neighborhoods, specifically in the 22207 zip code. Amid snowstorms and a Covid wave, residents reported not receiving any mail for several days. A spokesman for Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) tells ARLnow that the congressman’s office “had a call with USPS” on Thursday. “Rep. Beyer is working on getting answers on why this is happening (snow is a factor but it seems like many of the issues preceded the storm) and trying to get it fixed,” the spokesman wrote.