Winter Storm Warning: What you need to know

UPDATE: 11:00 PM, 1/6/22

VDOT, VA Dept. Of Emergency Management, Natl. Weather Service Update

VDOT and other agencies provided an update earlier today on the storm moving through the Commonwealth tonight. Here are a few highlights:

• There's a 10-40% chance that Fairfax and PWC get 6+ inches
• This is going to be a very cold and gusty event which means there will be snow drifting and piling up but it won't be heavy so hopefully not as many trees down.
• Snow will be over by 8 am tomorrow morning.
• Interstate system is clear of snow now. Primary roads are between clear and minor blockages. Secondary streets are mostly clear or moderately snowy. Fredericksburg still has some severely blocked roads.
• We have over 1 million cubic yards of debris down on the roads hampering recovery effort. NoVA has over 200,000 cubic yards - mostly trees. The big ice storm last year only produced 500,000 statewide.
• VDOT is working to clear trees tangled in power lines and coordinating with power companies.
• This storm tomorrow is going to be different from Monday's. It's going to start as snow which means VDOT can pre-treat roads this time. All interstates are pre-treated. Most arterials are, too. 
• Pavement temps are above freezing so we shouldn't see as much ice at the outset.

School Closures

Fairfax County School buildings will be closed tomorrow with no virtual learning.

Click Here For Fairfax School Closures

Prince William County Schools are closed Code Green.

Click Here for PWCS School Closures

UPDATE: 10 PM, 1/5/22

VDOT Update

VDOT crews are ready for snowfall and wintry precipitation forecast across northern Virginia tomorrow evening.

As always, residents are asked to track the latest forecasts, plan ahead to avoid nonessential travel during winter weather, and to be aware of the potential for black ice and nightly refreeze as temperatures remain low.

What's Happening Now:

• See the Winter Weather Advisory from the National Weather Service, with a range of snow accumulations forecast across VDOT's Northern Virginia District from late Thursday evening through Friday morning. Please monitor forecasts closely for updates.
• With dry conditions in the forecast until Thursday afternoon, Northern Virginia District crews will be pretreating interstates, primaries, and high-volume secondary roads, along with bridges, ramps and overpasses with brine.
• Brine is 77% water and 23% salt. It is sprayed on the road and when it evaporates, it leaves white lines of salt residue, or brine lines as they are commonly referred to. Brine works to prevent ice from bonding to the pavement in the first hour or so of a snowstorm.
• With more than 2,800 pieces of equipment, crews will work around the clock on state-maintained roads, focusing on clearing roads that carry the most traffic first. These include interstates, primary roads, and routes connecting public safety and emergency services. Crews can then focus on neighborhoods and lower-volume roads. Residents can monitor the progress of plows at www.vdotplows.org. 
• In areas that are expected to receive higher accumulations of snow, park in driveways or on a single side of the street to allow a wider path for plows.

Reminders for Residents and Drivers:

• Monitor the forecast closely and prepare to stay off roads when snowfall begins, to avoid deteriorating conditions and to allow crews room to work. Plan to avoid nonessential travel overnight Sunday into midday Monday.
• In areas that are expected to receive higher accumulations of snow, park in driveways or on a single side of the street to allow a wider path for plows.
• If you must drive, ensure headlights are on, drive for the conditions, and be familiar with these winter driving tips.
• Monitor road conditions on www.511virginia.org or the free mobile app, or call 511 from any phone in Virginia.
• Learn more about snow removal by visiting virginiadot.org/snow and viewing Northern Virginia District's fact sheet.

Dominion Update

Dominion Energy crews continue to make progress restoring power to customers affected by Monday’s winter storm, restoring power to 30,000 customers today.

Estimated restoration times have been posted and will continue to be updated. The most up-to-date information will be available at Report Outage or Emergency | Virginia | Dominion Energy, 866-DOM-HELP (866-366-4357) or through the Dominion Energy app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.  

We are tracking a cold front that will bring snow likely across Northern, Western and parts of Central Virginia between 8:00 PM tomorrow night and 6:00 AM Friday morning. Widespread 2-4 inches of accumulation looks likely for areas north and west of Richmond. Much of the global model guidance indicates that the same locations which saw the greatest snowfall early this week will again have the highest amounts.

Temperature profiles during initial snow accumulation look similar to what we experienced Monday morning. The primary concern is any wet snow accumulation still on trees from the last event combined with additional accumulation from this event. The secondary concern is new wet snow in the same location as the previous event.

Important Resources

Federal Government Offices

Federal offices in DC are Open with 3 hour delayed arrival and optional telework.

Office of Personnel Management Status

School Closures

Fairfax County School buildings will be closed tomorrow, Jan 5, with no virtual learning.

Click Here For Fairfax School Closures

Prince William County Schools are closed Code Green For Jan 5.

Click Here for PWCS School Closures

Dominion Resources Power Outage Line

1-866-366-4357

Dominion Resources Storm Center Outage and Restoration Updates

Northern Virginia Outages Map

VDOT Street Problem Number
1 (800) FOR-ROAD

VDOT REAL-TIME ONLINE PLOW MAP

Other Resources

Dominion

NOVEC

Washington Gas  

Fairfax County Police:   703-691-2131 

Prince William County:  703-792-6500
Stafford County:  540-658-4400

UDPATE: 10 PM, 1/4/22

VDOT Update

Interstate 95 northbound and southbound in Virginia is open after being closed for emergency response for most of the day, Jan. 4. All disabled vehicles have been removed from the interstate.

Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Virginia State Police (VSP) and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) continue to work around the clock with safety being the top priority.

While drivers can enter or exit I-95 northbound and southbound, travel remains hazardous throughout Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Caroline counties.

Since early this morning, crews directed travelers stopped on I-95 to the nearest possible interchange between exit 104/Route 207 in Caroline County and exit 152/Dumfries in Prince William County. Once all disabled vehicles and tractor-trailers were removed through the 40-mile section of interstate, multiple passes were made with snow plows and motorgraders to remove snow and ice then treated the travel lanes with materials to safely reopen the interstate.

VDOT continues to focus on primary and high-volume secondary roads before shifting to less traveled roads and subdivision streets.

Most secondary routes and neighborhoods remain in severe condition, meaning snow-covered with little to no bare visible pavement showing.

Drivers in the Fredericksburg area should continue to delay any unnecessary travel with dozens of roads closed with downed trees and fallen utility lines.

If travel is essential, drivers should be alert to slick, icy road conditions overnight and tomorrow morning, Jan. 5.

Crews will continue to work 24 hours a day until all state-maintained roads are safe for travel.

Dominion Update

Dominion Energy Virginia crews are safely and quickly restoring power to customers affected by Monday’s winter storm, which left pockets of heavy damage and impacted travel across Virginia. Along with a full cohort of Dominion Energy crews, support staff, and contractors, more than 800 mutual aid workers are providing assistance to ensure a swift response.

Over 400,000 customers have experienced a power outage since heavy snow and high winds began impacting service early Monday morning, making this one of the five worst winter storms in Dominion Energy Virginia’s history. Significant restoration progress has been made with service restored to more than 290,000 customers as of 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Many more customers will have their power restored this evening and the majority of those still without power will be restored by late Wednesday evening, with pockets of outage restorations extending into Thursday. Areas around Fredericksburg have been particularly impacted by this historic event where damage is the most severe and road conditions are treacherous, in some cases, impassable. Crews will continue restoration around the clock until all customers have service restored.

Estimated restoration times will be populated on individual projects as damage assessment and restoration continues. The most up-to-date information will be available at Report Outage or Emergency | Virginia | Dominion Energy, 866-DOM-HELP (866-366-4357) or through the Dominion Energy app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.  

PWC Government Update

Prince William County Government offices will open late at 10 A.M. on Wednesday, January 5, 2022. The Judicial Center and Solid Waste facilities will open on time; several other facilities and programs will have delayed openings beyond 10:00 A.M.: 

• All Libraries will have a delayed opening at 12:00 P.M.; check back in the morning for a list of branches that will be open on Wednesday.
• The Sharon Baucom Dale City Recreation Center and Chin Aquatics and Fitness Center will open late at 12:00 P.M.  All preschool programs are canceled.  All other Parks and Recreation facilities will remain closed until conditions will allow safe reopening.
• See https://www.pwcva.gov/emergency Wednesday morning for the latest information about facility opening times.

UPDATE: 7 PM, 1/3/22

Dominion Update

As of 5:00 p.m., more than 377,000+ of Dominion Energy Virginia customers have been affected, with nearly 225,000 customers still without service due to winter weather impacts -- heavy, wet snow and tree impacts due to high winds.

As Dominion Energy and contract crews begin their storm restoration efforts, we will work throughout the day and night to restore service as conditions permit.  Our restoration crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power; however, dangerous travel and hazardous working conditions are slowing down the restoration process. Therefore, we are encouraging our customers, particularly those in the hardest-hit areas, to prepare for the possibility of being without power for multiple days.  The hardest-hit areas include the Charlottesville/Albemarle areas, Greater Fredericksburg Region; parts of Prince William and Fairfax counties and significant pockets in the Richmond Metro Region. 

Schools Update

Fairfax, Prince William, and Stafford Schools are closed for Tuesday, Jan 4.

VDOT Update

As a quick-hitting winter storm leaves the region today, residents are reminded to give road crews room as they clear snow and downed trees in Northern Virginia this afternoon. Overnight tonight and tomorrow morning, limit nonessential trips if possible, and remain keenly alert to icy spots if traveling.



VDOT Northern Virginia crews will remain on duty this afternoon and overnight to push accumulation, as well as to treat roads overnight for the refreeze of any melted precipitation to the pavement.

Winds and the weight of heavy, wet snow are bringing down trees, branches, and power lines.

Reminders for Residents and Drivers:

• In neighborhoods, crews will treat trouble spots with a salt/sand mix and where more than two inches of snow have accumulated, plows will make an 8' -to-10' path. Learn more.
• If possible, avoid overnight and early morning travel until after sunrise and temperatures improve. Temperatures will remain below freezing, causing potential icy conditions and black ice.
• If you drive, allow extra time. Clear vehicles completely of ice. Take the trip slowly, increase distance behind other vehicles, and brake gently. Use extra caution on elevated surfaces such as bridges, ramps and overpasses.
• Check road conditions: Use www.511virginia.org, the free mobile app, or call 511 from any phone in Virginia.
• Follow @vadotnova and @NWS_BaltWash for real-time updates!

UPDATED: 10 AM, 1/3/22

Metro Update

Metrobus is temporarily suspending service immediately due to rapidly deteriorating weather and hazardous road conditions throughout the region. All buses currently in operation with customers will operate to the end of the line to complete their routes if safe to do so. All other buses will hold at stops until roads are passable and safe to resume service.

Heavy snow continues to fall throughout the region and travel is strongly discouraged unless absolutely necessary. As crews work to clear roads, Metro will continue to monitor road conditions to determine when it is safe to resume service. As an alternative, customers who must travel should consider using Metrorail service which continues to operate on a normal schedule with trains every 12-24 minutes.

Customers are encouraged to sign up for MetroAlerts text and email messages for the latest service information. In addition, Metro will also provide updates when service is safe to resume and service information through the Status and Alerts page at wmata.com and on Twitter @MetrobusInfo and @MetrorailInfo.

Dominion Update

As today’s wintry weather progresses throughout Virginia, electrical outages have started in the Dominion Energy territory and we expect pocket outages will continue throughout the day.  

Dominion Energy Virginia has mobilized its entire workforce of tree crews and bucket trucks, with additional contract crews supporting, to respond to outages. As is always the case in restoration, our initial priorities will be safety and restoration of critical services while we assess the overall damage to our system. We remind all our customers to stay away from downed power lines and to assume all such lines are energized. 

It is essential to report down power lines or outages. To report outages, a customer may call us at 866-DOM-HELP (866-366-4357). Outages may also be tracked and reported online at Report Outage or Emergency | Virginia | Dominion Energy or through the Dominion Energy app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

UPDATED: 11 PM, 1/2/22

It’s that time of year again. Winter in Northern Virginia is often a surprising blend of chill winter weather and unseasonably warm temperatures. Occasionally, snow gets thrown into the mix. This week, we might be in for some potentially hazardous winter weather. The Washington Post expects 3-9 inches of snow could accumulate in parts of the district. In light of this week’s forecast, I want to share some resources that you can use to ensure that you stay safe and informed during inclement weather.

Weather Updates 

Like with most weather forecasts, there’s a decent amount of uncertainty surrounding the conditions we might see. Some parts of the district might only get rain or freezing rain, while others might experience more severe forms of wintery participation. The National Weather Service is a great resource for monitoring weather conditions.

Click Here For Weather Forecast

Winter Storm Guidance

Winter storms can range from freezing rain or ice, to a few hours of moderate snowfall, to a blizzard that lasts for several days. Many winter storms are accompanied by dangerously low temperatures, power outages and unpredictable road conditions.

Before, during and after a winter storm, roads and walkways may become extremely dangerous or impassable. Access to critical community services such as public transportation, child care, healthcare providers and schools may be limited. Preparing your home, car and family before cold weather and a winter storm arrives is critical.

• During a winter storm, stay off the roads as much as possible and only drive when absolutely necessary. Always give snow plows the right of way.
• Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal burning device inside your home, garage, basement, crawlspace or any other partially enclosed area.
• Snow shoveling is a known trigger for heart attacks! Always avoid overexertion when shoveling.
• When severe weather occurs, plan to check on elderly or disabled neighbors and relatives.
• If you must travel, know road conditions before you leave home. Visit 511Virginia.org or call 511 for road condition updates.
• Protect yourself from Frostbite! Hands, feet and face are the most commonly affected areas so wear a hat, mittens (which are warmer than gloves) and cover your mouth with a scarf to reduce heat loss.
• Keep dry! Change out of wet clothing frequently to prevent a loss of body heat.
• Wear several layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing rather than one layer or heavy clothing.

Snow Removal 

As always, residents are asked to track the latest forecasts, plan ahead to avoid nonessential travel during winter weather, and to be aware of the potential for black ice and nightly refreeze as temperatures remain low. To track when your neighborhood will be plowed, visit the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) plowing website, which activates after 2 inches of snow have accumulated in your county. If you live on a private street, it is the responsibility of the developers or the homeowner’s association to arrange for the street to be cleared. Call 800-FOR-Road (800-367-7623) for information on snow removal or to inform VDOT of any snow removal problems. TTY users can call 711.

While there’s no legal obligation to clear the sidewalk in front of your house, we rely on residents to help keep neighborhoods pedestrian-friendly during snowy winters. Now more than ever, we’re encouraging younger residents who are able to assist their elderly neighbors with clearing their residential sidewalks to do so in a safe and socially distanced manner. Preventing unnecessary hospitalizations due to icy conditions is especially important during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Remember to exercise caution when driving, stay home if you’re able to, and make sure you’re informed before leaving your home. The VDOT website provides guidelines for how to commute and travel safely during snowy and icy conditions. Again, if you’re able to shelter in place, that’s always the safest option.

If you live in Fairfax County, the Fairfax County Emergency Information site provides up-to-date information on the forecast and how the weather could be affecting road conditions, traffic, and public transportation. If you live in Prince William County, you can access updates on weather and traffic conditions on their emergency event information site. If you live in Prince William County, more weather-related resources and updates can be found on the county website.

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Stay warm, stay safe, and look out for your neighbors.