The year’s first weekday snowstorm shut down schools and hampered morning commutes across the Washington area, while meteorologists predict another major blast this weekend.
Between 3 and 6 inches of snow accumulated throughout the night Tuesday, prompting area superintendents to close schools Wednesday for thousands of Virginia and Maryland students.
“The back roads and the side streets hadn’t been completely cleared,” explained Arlington County spokesman Frank Bellavia, echoing statements made by Montgomery and Fairfax County school officials.
Bellavia said the Arlington school superintendent worried that buses would not be safe on the unplowed roads.
“We have 7,000 lane miles of subdivisions to take care of,” said Joan Morris, spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Morris said crews were out well ahead of the storm, but not all roads could be cleared before the morning’s commute.
Despite the rash of Virginia and Maryland closings, D.C. public schools opened on time Wednesday morning, thanks largely to the different modes of transportation District students take to get to school.
“I know some of the larger area school districts have buses to consider,” said Jennifer Calloway, a D.C. Public Schools spokeswoman. “We don’t have [school] buses. Most of our kids use public transportation or they walk.”
The National Weather Service posted a winter storm watch for the area for Friday night through Saturday, predicting the Washington region will get at least five inches of snow with a “good chance” of at least a foot in some areas.
“It has the potential to be something like we saw in December,” said Chris Strong, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Strong said the front is moving northeast from the Texas Gulf Coast.
A major storm pounded the Washington area with record levels of snowfall Dec. 18 and 19.
“We’ve got to quickly turn around and get ready for this weekend,” said John Lisle, a spokesman for D.C.’s Department of Transportation.
