What to Know
- Temperatures plummet overnight into Tuesday, creating a risk that slush will freeze into ice on the roadways.
- Many public schools will operate on a two-hour delay on Tuesday. Some are closed entirely.
After melting snow met freezing temperatures overnight, a refreeze brought icy conditions to some D.C.-area streets and sidewalks Tuesday morning.
We're now seeing some melting again as temperatures crept above freezing, but another refreeze will occur overnight and into Wednesday morning.
Culpeper, Fairfax, Loudoun, Manassas City, Manassas Park, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania and Stafford public schools will open two hours late on Wednesday due to the weather.
Prince William and Fairfax County Schools cancelled Tuesday evening activities, and Prince George's County Public Schools cancelled all after-school and evening activities Tuesday, including evening high school and Board of Education meetings.
Arlington County announced that schools and offices will open on time. It's still a scheduled early release day.
Those who had to head Tuesday outside encountered some icy intersections and slippery steps and sidewalks. Traveling on Wednesday expected to be safer after sunrise, with the sun helping to melt the ice and snow.
The threat of Tuesday's refreeze prompted the federal government and many schools to schedule a delayed start Tuesday, and many other schools cancelled.
See the full list of school closures and delays here.
This week's wintry weather isn't over yet.
Although Thursday's commute should be fine, Storm Team4 is tracking a small storm expected to pass through the area Thursday night. It should be mostly rain for the D.C. metro area but could be a wintry mix for northern Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley.
Then, a bigger storm will arrive over the weekend. That will be mostly rain, although it could start and end with some wintry mix or even a little snow late Sunday afternoon and night as arctic air rolls in.
Nearly a foot of snow fell on the D.C. area over the weekend, making it the biggest storm to hit the area since the blizzard of January 2016. Snow fell steadily both Saturday and Sunday, and the region was still digging out Monday.
Before sunrise Monday, delivery driver Koloni Brown said he was frustrated by the slushy, icy side streets. He was headed from Waldorf to Alexandria.
Be careful on the roads! A word from a driver out delivering your Amazon packages: pic.twitter.com/tabZE7BUfl
— NBCWashington (@nbcwashington) January 14, 2019
"Ter-ri-ble. These roads, there's nothing like it. And I've gotta go to Alexandria. So, Amazon, you guys owe me," Brown said, pointing into the camera. "I'm doing your packages today on the strength of — I know you guys need it."
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein said the county saw a spike in crashes between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. Monday as commuters drove onto slick roadways.
"Folks got on the road, overestimated the road conditions," Goldstein said.
Aside from the disruption caused by the wintry weather, many people in our area were out having fun in the snow Sunday and Monday. Dozens of people competed in Pat Collins' first Snow Stick Challenge of 2019. This time around, Pat asked viewers to put on their best snow outfits, strike a pose and send photos.
The first Pat Collins' Snow Stick of 2019 went to Connor Sudol of Springfield, Virginia, for his "Great White Snow Shark" design.
Here's how much snow had accumulated as of Monday morning:
- D.C., National Zoo: 10.2 inches
- D.C., Rock Creek Park: 8.8 inches
- Reagan National Airport: 10.3 inches
- Dulles Airport: 10.6 inches
- Baltimore/Washington Airport: 6.6 inches
- City of Alexandria: 8 inches
- Annapolis: 9.8 inches
- Aquia: 7 inches
- Arlington, Ballston: 10 inches
- Bethesda: 11 inches
- Chantilly, 10.9 inches
- College Park: 10.7 inches
- Columbia: 13 inches
- Damascus: 12.4 inches
- Fairfax: 9.2 inches
- Leesburg, 11 inches
Metro trains are running with regular service.
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Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
After operating on Monday on a Severe Snow Plan, Metrobus resumed normal service Tuesday. However, WMATA warned that snow detours may be possible on some routes due to ice or hazardous conditions.
MetroAccess service is running on a normal schedule.
Regular VRE and MARC service were set to resume Tuesday. Go here for more info on VRE.
D.C. Fire and EMS released a list of resources for anyone who needs shelter. The city's Cold Emergency Plan is in effect in the District until further notice.
