According to NBC4‘s Bob Ryan, we may experience some of the heaviest snowfall rates the Washington area has seen in generations tonight. Also in the mix: the rare and wonderfully contradictory thundersnow. Arlington Now will be back tomorrow with continuous Snowmageddon updates, including scanner reports and snow photos. Stay warm, everybody.
snowmageddon
Update at 8:10 PM – The Pentagon City Harris Teeter is closing within the hour. The Ballston store is planning to close at midnight. Both stores say it is unlikely they’ll open tomorrow.
Local Giant stores are, apparently, toughing out the storm. The South Glebe Road and the Virginia Square stores are both planning on closing at midnight and re-opening at 6:00 AM.
Okay, so we might be getting pretty worked up about Snowmageddon over here at arlnow.com. But it’s probably best not to sound gleeful — this is a dangerous storm, as the National Weather Service told WaPo’s Capital Weather Gang.
Truly, though, if someone is too excited about the snow it’s this guy.
The snow is sticking in Crystal City. Visibility is deteriorating as the snow picks up in intensity.
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Update at 12:00 AM – Both the Ballston and the Pentagon City Harris Teeter stores are running very low on many essentials. Much of what is left is the more specialty-type items. As of 11:30 PM, the Pentagon City Harris Teeter still had very long lines.
Parking spaces were scarce outside the Shopper’s Food Warehouse at Potomac Yard tonight. At the Harris Teeter in Pentagon City, register lines stretched nearly the length of the store’s isles. Meanwhile on South Fern Street, drivers waiting to get into the Costco parking lot resorted to honking out of frustration with the massive backup.
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: