Snow Day 2014: Closures, Outages in Fairfax County

As predicted, Northern Virginia received enough snow to turn the area into a winter wonderland Thursday night, but the conditions Friday morning could be potentially hazardous for residents on the roads.

Black ice on roadways, bridges and hills is very likely for Friday as a weather system bringing snow, wind and rain moves through the area, Virginia Department of Transportation officials said Thursday afternoon.

The National Weather Service issued a Wind Advisory for the entire Washington-Baltimore region, starting Friday at 2 a.m. until noon.

Expect sustained winds between 20 and 30 mph, with gusts in some areas up to 50 mph, according to the NWS.

“The major concern is overnight icing on bridge decks and roadways,” Branco Vlacich, VDOT’s district maintenance engineer for Northern Virginia, said on Thursday.  

“Be aware of black ice (Friday) morning—pavement temperatures will drop quickly (Thursday) tonight and remain well below freezing Friday.”

VDOT crews will put down salt to mix with rain and help prevent ice from bonding to the pavement.

What's Open/Closed

Fairfax County Public Schools students were already scheduled to be closed this week for winter break with schools reopening on Monday, Jan. 6. All activities scheduled in Fairfax County public schools or on school grounds for Friday, Jan. 3, are canceled, including:

• extracurricular activities
• interscholastic contests
• team practices
• field trips
• middle school after-school programs
• professional learning and training courses
• all adult and community education classes
• recreation programs and community use by outside groups not affiliated with FCPS

School Age Child Care (SACC) centers are closed. Offices are open with an unscheduled leave policy in effect.

The federal government will be open Friday, according to the Office of Personnel Management. Federal employees have the option of using unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework.

Who to Call

• Power Outages: Report to Dominion Virginia Power via their website or 866-DOM-HELP (866-366-4357). 
• Stay away from downed lines and call Dominion Virginia Power to report lines down in your area. Do not try to drive over or around downed lines. 
• Trees/Limbs in Public Spaces and Roadways: Call 703-248-5181during office hours (if City government is open); call the Police non-emergency number, 703-241-5053, after hours

• The Virginia Department of Transportation keeps a map with all incidents, road work and closures here: 511virginia.org
• Follow @ffxconnector on Twitter for updates about Fairfax Connector bus services and check wmata.com for Metro alerts and information. 
• Driving tips for wintry weather here from AAA Mid-Atlantic.

• Comcast: Call 1-800-XFINITY (1-800-934-6489) or visit their website.
• Verizon Phone and Internet: Call 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966) or visit their website.
• Direct TV: Call 1-800-531-5000  or visit their website.
• Dish Network: Call 1-800-333-3474 or visit their website.