Snow Blankets Washington Area

Region Braces for What Could Be Largest Winter Storm in Three Years

By Lena H. Sun, Debbi Wilgoren

Originally published at 6:46 a.m., March 2, 2009
Updated at 10:17 a.m., March 2, 2009

A significant winter storm shuttered schools, disrupted train and bus service and left thousands of people without power in the Washington area this morning, as hundreds of plows struggled to clear between three and 12 inches of snow from roads throughout the region.

The federal government offered workers the options of unscheduled leave and arriving up to two hours late without penalty, and some local governments also told employees they could use liberal leave because of the storm, which blanketed the region but hit Southern Maryland the hardest.

Although most suburban schools were closed, D.C. officials said public schools in the city would open two hours late. Many universities and private schools were closed for the day.

Forecasters said the storm -- part of a wave of winter weather that hit the southern United States over the weekend and slammed the Northeast overnight and today -- would taper off in the Washington area late this morning.

The National Weather Service, which issued a winter storm warning for the region until 2 p.m., said the storm is moving quickly in a northeast direction with bands of heavy snow across the southern part of the Washington region early this morning.

"It's booking at a pretty good clip," said Jackie Hale of the Weather Service.

The highest totals are expected east of Interstate 95, with between six and nine inches, according to the Weather Service. Central and Southern Maryland and Fredericksburg will receive the brunt of the storm's impact. West of I-95, storm totals are expected to be four to six inches. But some estimates had up to a foot falling in parts of Southern Maryland, making it potentially the largest winter storm in the region in three years.

Strong winds sent flakes dancing through the air, and temperatures hovered in the low 20s, allowing the snow to stick. Temperatures are expected to remain below freezing all day, forecasters said, and the wind might push the wind chill to single digits tonight.

At the region's airports, the "cancellations are numerous and the delays significant," said Tara Hamilton, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. The authority runs Dulles International and Reagan National airports.

Hamilton said the wind keeps blowing previously plowed snow back on the runways. So the authority is concentrating all of its equipment on keeping one runway open at each airport. But even that has been a challenge.

Hamilton said many airlines made the call yesterday to cancel flights, to prevent their aircraft from being stranded at snowed-in airports on the East Coast.

For local commuters, Metrorail opened on time at 5 a.m. and was not experiencing delays, officials said. Metro ran empty trains overnight while the system was closed, to keep snow from accumulating on the tracks, and was running trains with special equipment today to keep snow and ice from building up.

But Metrobuses in Northern Virginia were driving "snow emergency routes only," sticking to major roads to avoid poor driving conditions. Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said buses in the District and Maryland would also bypass side streets if necessary.

Virginia Railway Express and MARC said some commuter trains were canceled or behind schedule. Trains on the Fredericksburg line of the VRE were running 10 to 15 minutes late because of an overnight power outage in a rail yard, officials said, but those problems were fixed by 7:45 a.m.

Virginia State Police said highways were very slow at the beginning of the morning commute, with numerous fender-benders causing disruptions on the inner and outer loops of the Beltway, Interstate 66, the Dulles Toll Road and I-95. Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Joan Morris cautioned people against travel unless it was completely necessary, saying that snow was coming down very rapidly and that visibility was poor.

In the District, traffic on major streets was noticeably lighter than on most Monday mornings, and the cars that were out moved more slowly. Some buses were late but were running, avoiding unplowed side streets if they seemed too slick to navigate.

As for official plowing, Le Blanc said that at least 200 pieces of equipment have been on the streets since last night, clearing and salting.

Gusts of up to 30 mph are expected, Jason Samenow, a forecaster with washingtonpost.com's Capital Weather Gang, said on Sunday. "As the crews clear the roads, the winds could be blowing snow right back on the road, which could be sort of a wild card."

By 5 a.m., 9.5 inches of snow had been reported in Hollywood. Bobby Cooper, manager of the highway department in St. Mary's County, said his road crews were reporting 10 to 12 inches of snow in many areas, and it was still falling "pretty heavily."

"We've been chipping away at it, but kind of fighting a losing battle right now," he said.

The county called in all its contractors so it could put nearly 40 plows on the road. Their efforts were hindered by gusting winds that downed power lines and trees, Cooper said. He said even the county's main thoroughfares, routes 5 and 235, were "pretty nasty," though passable for those who would soon be setting out for work.

Sheriff's deputies in St. Mary's responded to an unusually high 26 traffic crashes overnight, with another 32 vehicles being reported disabled, said Cindy Allen, a spokeswoman for the county sheriff's office. No one was seriously injured. Allen said trees and power lines were down throughout the county -- including on Budds Creek Road and at the intersection of Fairgrounds Road and Route 5.

The Southern Maryland Electrical Cooperative reported 9,400 customers without power in St Mary's, Charles and Calvert counties as of 9:30 a.m. Electrical outages were also affecting about 3,300 customers in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore Gas and Electric reported, down from nearly 10,000 overnight. There were about 860 customers without electricity in Prince George's County, utility officials reported. About 7,800 outages were reported in Northern Virginia.

Transportation and police officials in Northern Virginia reported slick and icy roads but no major accidents.

In Fairfax County, police blocked Old Keene Mill Road at Bauer Drive due to extensive icing. Police officials there warned that many cars were sliding off the road. But officials in Alexandria and Prince William, Arlington, and Loudoun Counties said they so far had seen only fender-benders.

At the Springfield interchange, a scene of chaos and hours-long delays during an ice storm in February 2008, traffic was traveling smoothly if slowly, Morris said.

Virginia transportation officials said the lesson learned from that earlier storm was "better to overreact," Morris said. The early snow forecast gave crews plenty of time to treat the interchange and other critical spots, such as bridges and ramps along the interstates, she said.

Today, Morris said the interchange is being repeatedly treated by nine trucks dedicated to its 50 ramps and sky-high overpasses.

"Knock on wood, there's been no issues there," she said.

To prepare for this storm, Virginia had 1,200 trucks deployed throughout Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun counties yesterday. VDOT trucks will concentrate on interstates and primary and secondary roads, followed by residential roads today. VDOT also has crews ready to handle fallen tree limbs that might block traffic.

Snow began to accumulate in downtown Washington after midnight, and the pace of snow quickened about 4 a.m., with a total of three to five inches expected. In Howard County, 2.7 inches were reported by 5 a.m.

The area's last major snowstorm hit on a Saturday night, Feb. 11, 2006. When most people woke up Sunday, there was eight to 14 inches of snow on the ground. Alexandria got 6.2 inches, and 17 inches fell in parts of Montgomery County. Unlike this storm, Howard County was one of the worst hit in 2006, with more than 21 inches of snow recorded in Columbia. National Airport had more than eight inches.

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