Northern Virginia Weather: Snow Timeline for Thursday-Friday

Ready for the first snowfall of the 2017 season? The National Weather Service reports Thursday to expect up to an inch of snow falling sometime between Thursday at 6 p.m. and Friday at 5 a.m. Most areas across Northern Virginia will likely see an accumulation of up to 1 inch of snow, said NWS meteorologist Bryan Jackson, who works in the NWS Sterling office.

Areas north and west of the metro DC area could see closer to an inch and a half of snow, Jackson said. But with freezing temperatures and cloud cover, the entire area should wake up Friday morning to some snow on the ground. He said it will likely begin to taper off between 2-3 a.m. Friday.

Flurries could begin Thursday afternoon with any accumulation after the evening commute, the NWS says. Even light amounts of snow can cause difficulties on the roads, forecasters point out.

The Virginia Department of Transportation began pre-treating roads Wednesday and is continuing to apply brine (a salt and water pre-treatment mix) to prevent snow and ice from bonding to the pavement during the first hour of snowfall. VDOT crews are at the ready to salt, sand and plow roads as needed.

VDOT and forecasters ask that you plan now to modify your commute by giving yourself plenty of time to get home Thursday night and make plans to possibly work from home Friday morning or delay travel. VDOT has an $80 million-plus budget to combat snow and ice and can store up to 33,000 tons of salt at its largest salt dome, located at I-495 and Van Dorn Street.

Alexandria officials are asking residents to try to stay off the roads if they get slippery and to consider using public transit options like DASH, Metrobus, Metrorail and VRE.

If you take the bus in Fairfax County, during inclement weather, heavy snow or icy conditions, Fairfax Connector may reduce, modify or suspend service due to poor travel conditions. If road conditions become unsafe, icy or snow-packed, service may be suspended on a route-by-route basis, or system-wide. There are things you can do to plan for your commute and stay informed of service changes during inclement weather:

• Operating Status and Detours: Sign-up for "Fairfax Connector Passenger Information" text/email alerts at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/alerts, and follow us on Twitter andFacebook.
• Routes and Schedules: View schedules online or call 703-339-7200, TTY 703-339-1608, Mon - Fri 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sat - Sun 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

When traveling during inclement weather or snowy conditions, riders should plan for longer waits for buses and allow additional travel time. Make sure to dress warmly as you may have to wait for the bus longer than normal. Do not stand in the street while waiting for a bus, and use extreme caution when walking on exposed surfaces, including parking lots and station platforms.

The next chance for snow? Weather forecasters say the area could see some flurries on Saturday. All agree it's going to be a cold weekend, with highs only in the high 20s.

Here's the latest forecast for the Northern Virginia region from the National Weather Service for the next few days:

• Thursday: A chance of snow after 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 36. West wind around 7 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.
• Thursday night: Snow, mainly before 4 a.m. Low around 29. Light and variable wind becoming north 5 to 9 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.
• Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 33. Northwest wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Friday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. North wind around 9 mph.
• Saturday: A slight chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 28. North wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
• Saturday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 18.
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 28.
• Sunday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 16.

PHOTO from Patch archive