The cold air is expected to push into the area Wednesday night, and will bring with it wind and the possibility of some light snow.
The last time we saw snow in Arlington was when the remains of a giant snow pile in Ballston, left over from the January blizzard, finally melted. Unlike some past years, to our knowledge no flakes fell in November this year.
It’s likely to be a colder-than-usual winter with slightly above average snowfall. That seems to be the general consensus of the D.C. area’s television meteorologists.
Another huge blizzard, like the kind that walloped the region earlier this year, may not be in the cards, forecasters say, but the strongest consensus was around colder temperatures.
That’s nearly $4 million more than was spent the previous winter, when the county almost ran out of salt due to a succession of snow storms.
The total roadway snow removal expenditure — the figures quoted here do not include removing snow from bus shelters or sidewalks — for Fiscal Year 2015 was only $2.7 million, according to Arlington County. As of April 25, the FY 2016 bill was $6.5 million, about $5 million of which was associated with the cleanup from January’s Snowzilla blizzard, as the county revealed last month.
Snowzilla Cost Arlington $5 Million — The total cost of January’s blizzard to Arlington County is close to $5 million, the county said yesterday. Of that, Arlington believes that it can recoup $2 million from federal disaster assistance funds, though reimbursement process is a lengthy one. [Arlington County]
Young Republicans to Meet With Gun Store Owner — The Arlington-Falls Church Young Republicans will hear from the owner of NOVA Armory, the new gun store in Lyon Park, at their meeting on Monday. The meeting will be open to AFCYR members only — much like a Lyon Park community meeting on the store was open only to residents. The Arlington County Republican Committee, meanwhile, passed a resolution last night in support of the store, stating that the local GOP “stands with gun stores such as NOVA Armory that are engaged in lawful commerce.” [Facebook]
It’s much diminished from its post-blizzard glory, but the big snow pile next to the Ballston mall parking garage is still hanging on despite temperatures well into the 70s.
The snow pile was melting steadily when we visited it yesterday afternoon. The ground around it was gray, from the dirt deposited as the glacier-like pile recedes.
The National Weather Service is warning of a potentially slippery AM commute, with 1-3 inches of snow expected to fall overnight.
From NWS:
One day ago, Arlington was a frigid winter wonderland, with several inches of snow on the ground. There were dogs playing and kids sledding during the day, and a dangerous glaze of ice courtesy of freezing rain at night.
Today, as of Tuesday afternoon, the temperature was in the mid-40s, most of the snow and ice is gone or turned to slush, and some blue sky can even be seen outside.
APS announced the cancellation decision around 4:30 a.m, as most roads and sidewalks were still icy from freezing rain. Fairfax County Public Schools and many other local school systems made the same call, although D.C. Public Schools are only on a two hour delay.
From APS:
County and state road crews are working to keep main roads clear as the snow falls today, but VDOT says conditions may get worse tonight when snow changes to sleet and freezing rain.
VDOT is advising drivers to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary, particularly this afternoon. From a press release:
About 4-6 inches of snow accumulation is expected in Arlington today as a winter storm makes its way through the area.
The snow is expected to transition to sleet, freezing rain and then just rain tonight. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the area (below).
NWS has issues a Winter Weather Advisory for Arlington, warning of the potential for several inches of snow followed by freezing rain on Monday.
The good news is that Monday is a federal and state holiday, though forecasters say an icy Tuesday morning commute is also a possibility.
Ahead of tonight’s potentially disruptive snow, Arlington Public Schools has cancelled all evening activities.
From APS:
