Ice, Sleet Coat Area Roads and Sidewalks

Many Schools Close, Freezing Rain Expected Through Morning

By Steve Hendrix, LoudounExtra.com staff, Josh White, Debbi Wilgoren

Originally published at 11:12 p.m., January 27, 2009
Updated at 11:06 a.m., January 28, 2009

Loudoun County Public Schools are closed today due to the inclement weather hitting the area last night. At least two private schools - Leesburg Christian School and Loudoun Country Day School in Leesburg - are closed as well.

Every suburban school system in the D.C. metro area, and scores of private schools, canceled classes altogether. Because of yesterday's snow and a teacher workday on Monday, it was the third consecutive day off for tens of thousands of youngsters.

The fluffy white flakes that fell yesterday, delighting children who had been starved for snow all winter, gave way after nightfall to a more ominous form of precipitation. Salt, snowplows and traffic cut through the slick surface on highways and some major roads, but as of 5 a.m. most side streets, pedestrian walkways and parking lots were difficult to navigate.

Forecasters said precipitation will continue throughout the morning, with temperatures rising above freezing in the late morning and into the low 40s in the afternoon. Rain will taper off later in the day, and the mercury will again fall into the 20s overnight.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for much of the area. About 2,000 customers were out of power in Prince George's County as of 9:30 a.m., but there were relatively few electricity outages elsewhere in the region.

MetroAccess, a part of the Metro system that provides door-to-door transportation to the disabled, said it will try to avoid delays due to the icy conditions but asked that riders cancel planned trips if their travel is not essential.

Virginia State Police had no major incidents to report as of 6:30 a.m., though they were working on clearing four crashes scattered along interstate highways in Northern Virginia. The department ran more than 1,000 salt and sand trucks yesterday and planned to operate all last night, officials said, concentrating on commuter parking lots along interstates 95 and 66 in advance of this morning's rush.

Despite some slippery spots, "traffic seems to be moving fine," said Corinne Geller, a Virginia State Police spokeswoman. "It's nothing out of the ordinary for us on a typical workday morning."

Although the George Washington Memorial Parkway, Lee Highway and other well-traveled roads were clear, neighborhood streets sported a glazed crust of ice over yesterday's slush and snow, with water pooling above it in many places. The brick sidewalks in Old Town Alexandria seemed especially hazardous.

About two inches of snow fell yesterday, with three inches measured in parts of Fairfax County. In the District, the snowfall was about 1 1/4 inches. Yesterday's storm came in two major waves, with snow falling steadily from 5 a.m. until about 2 or 3 p.m., followed by a more slippery winter mix that started about 4 p.m.

Two women were killed near Charlottesville yesterday when the vehicle in which they were riding skidded on ice on Route 29 and struck a tree, Virginia State Police said. State police also linked a fatal crash in Augusta County, Va., to the weather.

Many area schools closed yesterday before the first buses rolled, including those in Montgomery, Howard and Loudoun counties. Other jurisdictions, including Prince George's, St. Mary's and Calvert counties, tried to hold classes but ended up sending students home early.

Tagged: cancellations, Loudoun County Public Schools, National Weather Service, schools, snow, weather

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