Snow is headed to Northern Virginia on Monday, so be prepared.
The National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect from 2 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday.
A Winter Weather Advisory for snow means that periods of snow will cause primarily travel difficulties.
From the NWS:
- Precipitation type: Snow, possibly heavy at times.
- Accumulations: 1 to 2 inches.
- Timing: snow will begin late tonight and continue through late Monday afternoon. The Heaviest snowfall will occur between early Monday morning and Monday afternoon.
- Temperatures: in the lower 30s.
- Winds: northeast 10 to 15 mph.
- Impacts: roads will be snow covered and slippery with visibilities being reduced to near One-quarter mile at times. The combination of snow covered roads and low visibility will make traveling dangerous.
- Outlook: snow will continue Monday night into Tuesday, with additional accumulation possible.
Reston Now will update you with any school closings or road issues.
File photo
After students in teacher Evan Millar’s fifth-grade class at Terraset Elementary School made it into the building Tuesday, they learned a lesson in effective communication.
Forget #CLOSEFCPS, which was briefly trending on Twitter as about four inches of snow fell outside. Fairfax County Public Schools was widely criticized for its decision to start school on time despite the snow. FCPS admitted by Tuesday afternoon that they made the wrong call.
Millar went old school, instructing his students to write their opinions in well-constructed, persuasive essays — using their best vocabulary words — to FCPS Assistant Superintendent Jeffrey Platenberg, who is tasked with making the final call on snow days.
Here are a few examples of the fifth-graders’ work:
Dear Mr. Platenberg,
Today it was a snowy and freezing day. I had a rough time getting to school. I think you shouldn’t have opened school today.
I’m going to be 100% honest. When I was at the bus stop, it was very cold and my feet felt like they were going to fall off. I was late for school today because the bus was late. The bus driver was trying to be careful by driving slowly. The bus driver had to because the roads were icy and covered with snow. The bus driver could hardly see anything.
You are kind of in charge of the buses because if school were closed, the buses wouldn’t have come. The cars were slipping and sliding everywhere because of the snow and ice. It was very slippery outside. I fell when I was just walking and I fell on concrete. Read More
(Updated 2:20 p.m. with new statement from Fairfax County Public Schools)
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza issued a statement Tuesday afternoon regarding the decision to not delay or close schools despite Tuesday morning’s snowfall.
Meanwhile, all Tuesday evening and after-school activities are canceled, FCPS says.
Wrote Garza:
It is clear that our decision to keep schools open today was the wrong call given the intensity of this weather system. We are very sorry for that. We have heard from many of our families and we are listening. We thank you for your patience and working with us through this very difficult circumstance. Student safety is always our first priority in determining whether to open or close schools.
We will dismiss schools at their normal times this afternoon. Although weather and road conditions are improving, we do anticipate that some of our buses will experience additional delays transporting students home. As we indicated to you earlier, if you wish to pick up your child early, please feel free to make those arrangements with your school. SACC centers will be open today until 6:15 p.m., which is their regular closing time. SACC administrators request parents make every effort to pick up children earlier, if possible.
We appreciate the many teachers and school staff members that worked diligently to get our schools ready. We have also heard that many parents volunteered to help the schools welcome our students.
Our focus now is to get our students and staff home safely this afternoon. Students who were unable to get to school today will be given excused absences.
Please know we will be going over our procedures and processes to make every improvement possible to avoid the situation we encountered this morning. We are closely monitoring the weather conditions and will make a decision with regard to schools opening tomorrow and will let families know, through our normal communication processes, as soon as possible.
Original story:
After a morning in which several inches of snow fell and schools remained on schedule, Fairfax County offered an explanation for keeping its schools open.
Fairfax County Schools opened without delay on Tuesday, even as buses were stuck, cars spun out and many county roads were unplowed. #CLOSEFCPS was trending on Twitter.
FCPS posted this statement on its website at 10:20 a.m.:
We apologize for the difficulties the weather caused this morning.
Please know that significant area government entities were coordinating at a very early hour.
The decision was made with the best information we had very early this morning. Needless to say, the conditions were far worse than anticipated.
Weather conditions are expected to improve around midday. At this time, we are planning to dismiss schools at their normal dismissal time, however, we are continuing to closely monitor the situation and will keep parents apprised.
We are aware that people are asking us to cancel school. Students are safest at school when parents have not had a chance to make alternate plans for their child’s return home from school. However, should you wish to pick up your child early, we will accommodate you. Again we apologize for the difficulties experienced this morning and we thank you for your patience.
Photo: Sunrise Valley ES students try and get to school Tuesday/Credit: Christy Winters Scott
(Updated 10:04 a.m. with road closures).
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for our area until 1 p.m. on Tuesday. The Winter Weather Advisory is no longer in effect.
The forecast now calls for 4 to 6 inches of snow, with the heaviest snow falling through 11 a.m. Temperatures will remain in the low 20s.
The NWS says snow accumulating on all surfaces well below freezing and visibility below half mile will continue to make for very hazardous travel conditions.
Weather forecasters had predicted a dusting to 2 inches of snow for Northern Virginia early Tuesday. However, the suburbs south of Washington, D.C., got more snow than predicted. About 3-4 inches had fallen in Reston as of 9:40 a.m. Tuesday.
Drivers reported massive delays and some road closures Tuesday morning. Fairfax County Public Schools did not delay or close, which concerned many parents and students. #CLOSEFCPS was trending on Twitter Tuesday morning.
Several roads in the Reston area were closed as of 10 a.m., including Wiehle Avenue at Fairway Drive, Hunter Mill Road at Sunrise Valley Drive and South Lakes Drive at Colts Neck Road. See the entire list of Fairfax County Road closures on Fairfax County’s blog.
#CLOSEFCPS is trending locally and worldwide on Twitter.
Despite the forecast of snow, Fairfax County Public Schools did not close or have a delay on Tuesday morning. Snow fell all through rush hour — and was continuing to fall at 9 a.m. — as many frustrated parents and students complained about the decision.
Cars were spun out and stuck leading South Lakes Drive at Reston Parkway to be briefly closed. Motorists around Reston reported major delays.
Nearby, Montgomery County (Md.) Public Schools, a similarly sized system, was delayed and then closed. Loudoun County Public Schools were open.
Assistant Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools Jeffrey Platenberg told WTOP that the school system was surprised by the amount of snow that fell Tuesday morning.
Administrators were expecting a dusting, but were surprised when the snow came down heavy and traffic became a major issue, Platenberg said.
He says things were already in motion and changing the plan late in the game would have been a bigger inconvenience for parents who had already left the house.
“We apologize for any inconvenience, but the timing of this was the worst possible situation we could have imagined,” Platenberg said.
The school district sent out an alert that some buses may be delayed. The county also sent an alert warning of multiple accidents, significant delays and advising “please use extreme caution while driving and expect a lengthy delay in your commute.”
(Updated 8:27 a.m. with comment from FCPS official)
Restonians woke up to about an inch of snow, as predicted, on Tuesday morning. The snow continued to fall through rush hour.
Early commuters were greeted with many untreated roads and hazardous driving conditions.
Fairfax County Schools opened on time, which led to criticism on social media from some parents. Nearby, school systems in Montgomery County, Md., and Alexandria both had two-hour delays.
Assistant Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools Jeffrey Platenberg told WTOP that the school system was surprised by the amount of snow that fell Tuesday morning.
Administrators were expecting a dusting, but were surprised when the snow came down heavy and traffic became a major issue, Platenberg said.
He says things were already in motion and changing the plan late in the game would have been a bigger inconvenience for parents who had already left the house.
“We apologize for any inconvenience, but the timing of this was the worst possible situation we could have imagined,” Platenberg said.
The school district sent out an alert that some buses may be delayed. The county also sent an alert warning of multiple accidents, significant delays and advising “please use extreme caution while driving and expect a lengthy delay in your commute.”
Do you think there should have been a delay for FCPS? Tell us in the comments.
Reston may see its first snowfall of 2015 — and really, of the entire winter so far — on Tuesday, National Weather Service forecasters said.
A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for Reston, Northern Virginia and most of the DC area from 4 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday.
A Winter Weather Advisory means periods of snow will cause primarily travel difficulties, the NWS said.
Temperatures will drop into the low 20s Monday night with a 30 percent chance of snow. Early Tuesday, there is a 90 percent chance of flakes falling.
The snow will begin about 5 a.m., so beware before you commute on Tuesday.
Most of the snow will fall before 1 p.m., the NWS says, with accumulations here expected to be 1 to 2 inches. The high will be about 35 degrees.
Whatever falls may stick around as temperatures are expected to remain below normal Wednesday, with a high of 27 and a low of 11.
Reston Now will keep you apprised of any closings or delays due to snow.
Snow in Reston/file photo
The first snow of the winter of 2014-15 began as scheduled — at about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, just as people everywhere were getting ready for the pre-Thanksgiving scramble.
The snow stuck to grassy areas, but was not accumulating on most roads around Reston. While some residential roads appear sloppy, major and secondary roads were clear as of about 12:30 p.m.
USA Today reports that hundreds of flights were canceled in anticipation of the storm on one of the busiest travel days of the year. Washington-area airports are reporting some delays. Check with your airlines or Flightaware.com to see where your travel plans stand.
The Virginia Department of Transportation said yesterday it has about 400 trucks staged in Loudoun, Fairfax, Prince William and Arlington counties in preparation for the storm, even though it started as rain and may revert back to rain later.
VDOT urges drivers to “use extra caution, particularly on bridges, overpasses, curves, hills and ramps, which become slippery first.” Crews are not pre-treating roads since the rain would wash the treatment away.
AAA Mid-Atlantic says the weather could mean frustration for highway travelers Wednesday. Some motorists already heeded AAA’s warnings and left for the holiday on Tuesday.
That was probably a good plan.
“Wednesday can turn into a chaotic and frightening scene of events on the roadways along the East Coast,” said AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend. “With over one million travelers in Washington, D.C., another 1.1 in Virginia, and nearly 900,000 in Maryland taking to the roads this Thanksgiving, AAA is warning motorists to heed all travel warnings and stay home until road conditions improve.”
The National Weather Service says additional snow may fall overnight and temperatures will hover around freezing. Thanksgiving Day calls for a chance of rain and snow showers, mainly between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. with a high around 40.
Photo: First snowflakes of the season at Lake Anne/Credit: Ken Knueven via Facebook
Reston is among the areas in the Washington, D.C., are under a winter weather advisory for Wednesday, says the National Weather Service.
The I-95 corridor — from Prince William County to Baltimore, should you be traveling that way for Thanksgiving — is under the advisory, which is in effect from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow.
The NWS says:
* PRECIPITATION TYPE…SNOW.
* ACCUMULATIONS…2 TO 5 INCHES IN THE FAR NORTHERN AND WESTERN
SUBURBS OF WASHINGTON AND BALTIMORE. A COATING TO AN INCH NEAR
INTERSTATE 95.* TIMING…RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW BETWEEN 8 AND 11 AM WEDNESDAY
MORNING. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL OCCUR THROUGH 2 PM WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.* TEMPERATURES…LOWER TO MIDDLE 30S.
* WINDS…NORTH BECOMING NORTHWEST 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND
20 MPH.* IMPACTS…ROADS MAY BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY…MAINLY
ACROSS THE FAR NORTHERN AND WESTERN SUBURBS OF WASHINGTON AND
BALTIMORE. SNOW WILL ALSO REDUCE THE VISIBILITY.
Areas to the west of here, including Loudoun County, are under a winter storm warning for 3 a.m. to 6 pm. Wednesday. Those areas are expected to see 3 to 6 inches of snow in most areas and up to 10 inches in higher elevation areas.
Thanksgiving week kicked off in Reston with balmy temperatures, which belies the forecast of a white Thanksgiving.
Yes, snow the day before and on Thanksgiving is a possibility, maybe even a probability, forecasters said.
It would be the first snow on Thanksgiving since 1996, says the Capital Weather Gang.
The weather will turn on Tuesday, says the National Weather Service. There will be a chance of rain between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., then rain and snow likely. It will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent, with amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
On Wednesday, one of the busiest travel days of the year, there is a 90 percent chance of precipitation with lows in the 20s. The chances for snow continue right through Thanksgiving morning.
WTOP has some advice to time your travel:
If you are headed north on Interstate 95, to get ahead of the system, drivers should aim to complete their trip (or at least make it through much of Pennsylvania) by 10 a.m. Wednesday.
If you are traveling south on I-95, I would wait until the storm system has passed, probably after 7 p.m. (or later) Wednesday.
If you are traveling along I-81, I would leave on Wednesday as early as possible (Tuesday night would be ideal), especially if you are headed south.
How much accumulation, if any, will Fairfax County see? As of Monday afternoon, the NWS was predicting up to two inches around here, but that could change.
Reston Now will bring you an updated forecast as the week goes on. Meanwhile, check your travel plans and be ready for delays.
Whether it is a winter for the record books or a fairly mild season, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) says it is ready for snow removal in 2014-15 — even though the agency has budgeted less money than last year.
This year’s budget is $52 million, VDOT said at its annual Northern Virginia snow briefing on Tuesday. Last year, the budget was $63 million, but the agency spent nearly $152 million as 52 inches of show — more than double the average 22 inches — fell here.
VDOT maintenance engineer Branco Vlacich says that number doesn’t mean much as a new way of tracking state labor costs makes the figure lower, but the overall funds available for snow removal are about the same as last winter.
“Snow is an emergency, just as a tornado or hurricane would be an emergency,” he said. “The resources will be available.”
National Weather Service Meteorologist Chris Strong said this winter is expected to be fairly typical “but we will ensure readiness for a big storm.”
VDOT will be ready too, though Vlacich and Strong pointed out that last season’s snows were not from one big storm. They were from many small- to medium-sized snow events that happened well into March.
VDOT has more then 4,000 trucks; 340,000 tons of salt; 95,000 tons of sand; and 576,000 gallons of liquid ready to go, says Vlacich. In Northern Virginia (Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William Counties), VDOT is responsible for nearly 18,000 miles of road.
Also in the fleet: A jet-powered snow melter for Park-n-Ride lots where snow can block parking spaces; seven high-pressure flush trucks that will be used on I-495 Express lanes; a truck-mounted weather camera; two large front loaders to move snow during severe storms; and six-truck mounted cameras to show live road conditions.
“Our goal is to clear streets within 24 hours after 2 to 4 inches have fallen, and after 48 hours if 6 inches or more have fallen,” said Vlacich. “The key to making it all work is regional cooperation. Last winter, during snow events, schools, the government and Metro all shut down. That let us clear the roads in 24 hours. One particular challenge we have in Northern Virginia is many cul-de-sacs and subdivisions. Those take a long time.”
VDOT will be testing a no-salt area around Chantilly this winter. Those roads will be treated with brine. VDOT will measure the effectiveness of this method, which has been successful in some Western states. It could eventually reduce the need for salt.
VDOT will again have its live updates of street plowing status at www.vdotplows.org and citizens can communicate with them via Twitter @VaDOTNOVA.
Photo: VDOT truck at work/Courtesy of VDOT
There could be 12 inches of snow all winter in Reston. Or there could be six snowstorms with 12 inches each.
You never know, and that is why Reston Association is working on getting the whole community prepared.
The community is invited to join reps from RA, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and Fairfax County at the first “Snow Summit” Thursday at 6 p.m. at RA Headquarters, 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.
Last winter was unusually snowy in Reston, with 11 FCPS snow days. But even after the snow fell, there was confusion among community members as to who was responsible for what: What is RA’s responsibility? What is VDOT’s? Is it right to ask residents to help clear sidewalks so children don’t have to walk to school in the street?
The goals of the meeting are to help educate the community about the shared responsibility for snow removal and create opportunities for grassroots collaboration and planning on a local level for improved snow removal solutions, RA says.
The idea was the suggestion of at-large board member Rachel Muir.
“We know that RA always does a remarkable job with our trails; they are usually the first places open during a snowfall and the best maintained,” she said in a memo to board members over the summer. “The source of the problem is often VDOT, Fairfax County, or contractors or clusters undoing or not doing a coordinated effort on snow removal.”
With the Silver Line now open, that also adds another level of accessibility issues at near Wiehle-Reston East.
While RA plows its 55 miles of paths, it does not shovel sidewalks unless they are on RA property. RA’s attorney explained at a meeting last winter that RA cannot shovel spots it does not own because of liability issues.
RA has recently drafted an agreement with the county that would grant RA the legal right to work on paths crucial to access to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station. RA would be permitted to plow or provide other minor maintenance such as pruning or pothole repair. RA would not be responsible for major repair or capital replacement.
RA is also seeking a permit from VDOT to remove snow from VDOT sidewalks adjacent to RA property.
VDOT is responsible for plowing most public streets in Reston. It does not, however, shovel sidewalks. Some community members pitched in to shovel sidewalks near their subdivisions last winter, but it was far from 100-percent participation.
“Recognizing VDOT does not provide any snow removal on its sidewalks, if RA removes snow from VDOT sidewalks adjacent to RA property, but other adjoining property owners (individuals, clusters, condos) do not, there will be a very obvious discontinuation of cleared sidewalks at many locations throughout Reston,” RA documents state.
“If RA were to clear the sidewalks adjacent to its own properties, it would add approximately 5.6 miles to its snow removal inventory, although only half of those are VDOT owned. The other half are either owned by Fairfax County or unknown. Additionally, most of the additional work will require the use of a snow blower and hand shoveling. The additional clearing would extend RA’s response time at least an extra day to remove an average snowfall.”
Photo: RA path plows/File photo
If the winter of 2014-15 is at all like last winter, Reston residents will be shoveling lots of snow.
Reston Association is taking steps now to ensure that it is a community effort with results that enable residents get where they need to go.
While RA plows its 55 miles of paths, it does not shovel sidewalks unless they are on RA property. This led to complaints from RA members last winter as students walked to school in the street rather than on shoveled sidewalks and an explanation from RA’s attorney that RA cannot shovel spots it does not own because of liability issues.
In February, the RA Board authorized staff and legal counsel to discuss with Fairfax County officials whether RA could plow county-owned pathways in Reston. The board also tasked several RA committees with developing a community-wide snow removal mobilization.
RA has since drafted an agreement with the county that would grant RA the legal right to work on paths crucial to access to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station. RA would be permitted to plow or provide other minor maintenance such as pruning or pothole repair. RA would not be responsible for major repair or capital replacement.
RA is also seeking a permit from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to remove snow from VDOT sidewalks adjacent to RA property.
VDOT is responsible for plowing most public streets in Reston. It does not, however, shovel sidewalks, leading to a bit of a game of hot potato when it comes to shoveling. Some community members pitched in to shovel sidewalks near their subdivisions last winter, but it was far from 100-percent participation.
“Recognizing VDOT does not provide any snow removal on its sidewalks, if RA removes snow from VDOT sidewalks adjacent to RA property, but other adjoining property owners (individuals, clusters, condos) do not, there will be a very obvious discontinuation of cleared sidewalks at many locations throughout Reston,” RA documents state. Read More
After a glorious spring weekend with summer-like temperatures, Reston is about to get a reality check Tuesday.
The forecast is calling for a 40-degree temperature drop, as well as just maybe a few flakes of snow.
From The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang:
Between late afternoon Monday and Tuesday, we’ll go from temperatures near 80 to the 40s. Tuesday afternoon’s cold rain could even transition to mixed precipitation before ending at night. Many parts of the area see temperatures drop below freezing early Wednesday morning and some then struggle to escape the 40s Wednesday afternoon.
…Temperatures continue to fall through the 40s during Tuesday evening, into the 30s by around dark in some of our colder suburbs and closer to 10 or 11 p.m. inside the Beltway. This may allow rain — if it lingers long enough — to mix with and change to sleet and/or snow before ending (20-30 percent chance, highest western areas). As usual, the best chance of any wintry precipitation is in our colder suburbs to the northwest. Little or no accumulation is expected and it’s completely possible the rain shuts off before it’s cold enough for frozen precipitation.
To review: April 15. Wintry Mix.
Fun fact: The National Weather service says the latest measurable snow recorded in D.C. was April 28, 1998 (0.5 inch). At Dulles, the latest measurable snow was April 12, 1973, when an inch was recorded.
Reston remains under a winter weather advisory until 8 p.m. Tuesday. Snow began falling about 8 a.m. and has steadily continued throughout the day.
While the spring storm covered grassy areas, roads were generally clear.
About 1.4 inches had fallen at Dulles International Airport as of early afternoon. That gives Dulles 50.4″ of snow for the season. That’s third most on record (since 1963), passing the snowy winter of 2002-’03 on the list, according to the Capital Weather Gang.
Fairfax County Public Schools plan regular dismissals Tuesday afternoon.
From the National Weather Service:
… WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING…
* PRECIPITATION TYPE… SNOW.
* ACCUMULATIONS… 2 TO 4 INCHES.
* TIMING… SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY EVENING. THE HEAVIEST SNOW IS EXPECTED LATE THIS MORNING INTO THE MID AFTERNOON.
* TEMPERATURES… AROUND 30 THIS MORNING… RISING INTO THE LOWER TO MID 30S THIS AFTERNOON.
* WINDS… SOUTHEAST 5 TO 10 MPH… BECOMING NORTH 10 TO 15 MPH THIS EVENING.
* IMPACTS… ROADS WILL BE SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY IN SOME AREAS THIS MORNING. MOST SURFACES WILL BECOME WET AND SLUSHY THIS AFTERNOON WITH TEMPERATURES RISING ABOVE FREEZING.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES… AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.
Photo by Tina C. via Twitter.
