Instead of a few inches of snow, the DC area saw significant hail on Thursday.
Although part of it melted in the late afternoon, when the sun goes down, much of it is ice again, and we still haven’t finished with snow and especially with ice. Storm Team4 is tracking many cold drizzles in the region, which will make already slippery roads worse.
Winter storm warnings are in effect in areas south of DC due to ice concerns, including Calvert, Charles, Stafford, Spotsylvania and St. Mary’s counties until early Friday. The rest of the area is under a winter weather warning. Here is a complete list of weather alerts.
Winter rains began to fall on Thursday morning, with hail and freezing rain responsible for poor road conditions and hundreds of accidents, spinouts and other vehicle problems.
It didn’t snow much in Northern Virginia, but it was enough to leave a mess of snow and ice behind. Northern Virginia Bureau reporter Drew Wilder shows how people are dealing with this latest explosion of winter weather.
As snow fell from the clouds, temperatures 1 to 1.5 miles above the surface were above zero, turning snow into rain. But as soon as the rain reached a kilometer from the ground, it experienced sub-zero temperatures, turning it into hail, said Storm Team4.
The winter mix had a series of impacts on the region. In Frederick County, Maryland, the snow brought a cross-country skier. Ashburn, Virginia, had a white layer of hail. In St. Mary’s County, Maryland, an ice-covered tree fell on a road.
A cold drizzle is affecting the area on Thursday night. More ice build-up is likely to be the biggest impact, exacerbating any remaining problems on the roads, says Storm Team4.
It can snow in some places. Another coating is possible.
“No matter where you are, if you can avoid traveling this afternoon for tonight, that will be the way to go,” said meteorologist Amelia Draper of Storm Team 4 on Thursday.
Ice will be a big concern again on Friday morning
Ice will be a major concern again on Friday morning, as temperatures will be below freezing. This can be the most difficult time to travel, says Storm Team4.
On Friday morning, snow and hail will come to an end with almost no extra build-up.
News4’s Shomari Stone reports the dangerous conditions caused by the freeze.
The sun will start to help melt on Friday, when it gets high enough after 9am. Then, around 10:11, the temperature will rise above zero. The high temperatures on Friday will be around 40 degrees.
But the temperature will drop to 20 degrees again on Friday night, so get ready for another freeze.
We should have a cold, but dry weekend.
A winter storm that swept the country left millions of people without heat and electricity in Texas. NBC Boston meteorologist Chris Gloninger joined LX News to explain what is causing these extreme conditions and why Texas was hit so hard.
Closures, delays in the DC area
Several school districts will be closed again on Friday, while others will have only virtual learning or delayed opening. See all closings and delays.
Federal agencies in the DC area will open with a two-hour delay on Friday, after being closed on Thursday, the United States Personnel Management Office said. The option of unscheduled license or telework will be allowed.
Shomari Stone from News4 reports on road conditions in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The weather also closed some COVID-19 vaccination sites on Thursday. Fairfax County said it would send information about the rescheduling. A mass vaccination site in Six Flags America will reschedule appointments for March 3rd.
Starting Friday morning,
Metrobus will operate on a moderate snow service plan on 110 routes on Friday morning. Deviations will be in effect and some routes may be suspended.
The metro restricts bus service from noon on Thursday, operating only 58 routes on the main roads only due to the winter weather, WMATA said.
Metrorail and MetroAccess are functioning normally.
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest predictions.