Northern Virginia

DC Area Plunging Into Deep Freeze

Some school districts are closed or delayed Wednesday, and federal agencies in the D.C. area had a 3-hour delay

The cold is moving in quick across the region and overnight lows from Wednesday to Thursday will dip into the single digits with wind chills zero to 15 below zero.

Thursday is expected to be the coldest day of the week. The entire area is under a wind chill advisory from 9 p.m. Wednesday until 10 a.m. Thursday. Winds will bring feels-like low temperatures as cold as minus 15 degrees.

The strong winds were even swaying airplanes as they come in for landing at Reagan National Airport. News4's David Culver reports.

Several school systems have announced they will open two hours late on Thursday including, Arlington Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Prince George's County Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools, Alexandria City Public Schools, Stafford County Public Schools, Spotsylvania County Public Schools and Falls Church City Public Schools.

Public schools in Prince William, Loudoun, Culpeper and Fauquier counties and Manassas City will be closed on Thursday.

With wind chills this low, exposed skin can get frostbitten in just 30 minutes. Remember to make all efforts to protect people, pets and pipes during this intense blast of cold.

News4's Shomari Stone spoke to people about how they're dealing with the dangerous cold weather.

D.C. is under a hypothermia alert and has opened shelters for people who need to get out of the cold. Check here for a full list of shelters.

Transportation to the shelters is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you see someone outside in need of shelter or a welfare check, call the Shelter Hotline at (202) 399-7093 or dial 311.

Bitterly cold weather is a nuisance for some and a danger for others. Officer Laurie Reyes advises you to speak up and call 911 if you see someone under-dressed or in need of help during the upcoming winter weather. News4's Jackie Bensen reports.

Friday also will be very cold. There's a chance for light snow showers  or flurries with highs of about 30 degrees. That's close to 15 degrees below normal for this time of year.

The weekend is looking dry, with highs in the 40s on Saturday and well into the 50s on Sunday.

Not a fan of the cold? Temperatures are set to warm into the 60s on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Contact Us