arlwx12

Just about all the DC-area public schools have announced they will close Tuesday, except DC itself and St. Mary's haven't declared yet.

looked out my window in Arlington VA and saw a millimeter or two of ice on top of tree twigs.

Outside my window in Arlington VA, ice pellets are starting to stick to the topside of branches. This may suggest they were partially melted, and refroze on contact. Something is STILL falling, and I think it all got to be a bit much for those trying to clear the path from their front door for the first time today. Visibility is better, but still not great. I just checked the NWS website that is reporting 1.25 mile visibility at DCA.

About the only "DC-area" public schools NOT on WJLA's closure list for tomorrow right now are Calvert, St. Mary's, Manassas Park and Spotsylvania. ((The list even included Berkeley and Morgan closures thru Tuesday.))

Visibility in Arlington back under a half-mile. Some very tiny precipitation is falling. Maybe an inch of sleet stuck to cleared sidewalks??

Visibility back to about 1/4 mile in Arlington VA. Looks like sleet (bouncing off tree twigs).

More sleet in Arlington VA. The sidewalk where the first neighbor shoveled out is coated. Visibility back down to 1/2 mile.

A kid (parent in tow) just sledded down part of my Hill of Doom. A couple more neighbors started to clear paths from their front doors.

One of my neighbors in Arlington VA came out immediately after the changeover and started shoveling. Some snow DID get scraped off my Hill of Doom, BUT with the sleet, and freezing rain potential, the street might get up to its old tricks again.

Eyeballs estimated about 4-4.5 inches in Arlington VA before the sleet? arrived a bit before 8 am. Didn't see-hear any pingers, though- maybe the teeny specks are rimed?

Been awake since 2 am (thank you tea). Fox weather was doing special broadcasting at 4 am. DC TV channels 4, 5 and 9 kicked in at 6 am with coverage, including their closures lists. Channel 4 estimated another 6 inches for the DC metro, while channel 5 thought there would be 3-5 inches added. Almost time to see what channel 7 will say.

Eyeballing out my window in Arlington, looks like 2 1/2 inches on fencetops. Just MAYBE my Hill of Doom has been plowed, but hard to tell. Visibility down to 1/2 mile, or maybe a bit less.

And the 815 ice forecast called for 0.16" in DC.

LWX's 816 am forecast now calls for 8 inches expected in Washington.

OPM has gone to Monday maximum telework in the DC area. Those who were scheduled to work in the DC area but are not teleworkers get safety leave. More details: Current Status

I discovered WJLA has an online listing of "DC-area" closings and delays: Closings

In the DC area, the first local TV newscast on Saturday will be Channel 4 WRC at 6 am. Channel 7 WJLA will start its local news show at 8 am, and may show closings again.

Home | Fairfax County Public Schools | Fairfax County, Virginia | Fairfax County Public Schools They say a decision will be made on Sunday about Monday school and activities.

Channel 9 WUSA tried to label this storm "Sleetzilla".

Channel 7 WJLA in the DC metro is showing already church and school closures, including DC public schools and all the way out in Culpeper County. There were a couple of "going virtual" announcements as well.

My big questions for MY street are: Will they pretreat it? (no sign so far) Will they plow during the storm? When will they try to make a car path? If the answers to questions 1 and 2 are no, I expect to be entertained by MY Hill of Doom as people Think that they can drive up it. (In that case, if they don't have four wheel drive, people should stay away or stay home.) If there's a decent amount of snow, maybe some kids will try sledding down the steep parts. Or maybe people will think it's too cold for that.

Room also in LWX's forecast for DCA: Saturday Night Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 17. Northeast wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible. Sunday Snow, freezing rain, and sleet. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 27. Northeast wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow and sleet accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible. Sunday Night Snow, freezing rain, and sleet before 10pm, then snow and freezing rain between 10pm and 4am, then a chance of snow after 4am. Low around 20. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow and sleet accumulation of around an inch possible.

What the local TV is saying at 430 am for the immediate DC area: Channel 4: in the 6-12 band Channel 5: in the 6-12 band Channel 7: NAM 8, GFS 13 Channel 9: will depend on how much mixing

Noon TV guesses (I guess for snow) for the immediate DC metro area: Channel 7: 8"-12"as low as Channel 9: 8"-12" The last NWS maps I saw were 9" expected, 10% less than 3", 10% more than 11" (I don't think that adds in the slop)

LWX is forecasting 7F for Friday overnight and a high of 17F for Saturday.