Winter Storm To Bring Snow To DC Area, Storm Watch For Southeast Virginia: Forecast

VIRGINIA/DC — Forecasters are predicting a few inches of snow in D.C. and Northern Virginia on Friday and Saturday morning from the new winter storm heading up the East Coast. The biggest snow totals in Virginia are expected in the southeast part of the state, which could see as much as 8 inches.

The National Weather Service is calling for 2 to 3 inches of snow in the District of Columbia and the immediate suburbs in Northern Virginia, along with Fredericksburg. Western Fairfax and Prince William counties, along with Loudoun County, are in the zone where only 1 to 2 inches of snow is expected.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency Thursday in anticipation of the winter storm.

“We are very concerned with the forecasted impacts to our Eastern Shore region and have started pre-positioning resources to ensure a timely response to that area,” Youngkin said. “The most important thing everyone can do to minimize the risks is to prepare yourself and your family.”

The state of emergency allows the state to mobilize resources and to deploy people and equipment to assist in response and recovery efforts. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Transportation and other pertinent agencies are mobilizing and preparing for the impact of these storms, the governor's office said.

The NWS has issued a winter storm watch for southeast Virginia, where heavy snow accumulations are expected Friday evening through Saturday morning. Total snow accumulations up to 8 inches are possible in southeast Virginia, with locally higher amounts. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph.

The Hampton Roads area is predicted to get 4 to 6 inches of snow from Friday night into Saturday, according to the NWS. The heaviest snow is likely to hit the Eastern Shore, with accumulations of up to 8 inches in Accomack County.

In the D.C. area, forecasters are expecting little accumulation during daylight hours on Friday.

Into Friday night, periods of snow are likely and, with temperatures falling below freezing, some accumulation and slick travel are possible, the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang reported. Snow showers are likely to quickly diminish on Saturday as the storm takes aim at New England.

NBC4 also emphasized that most of the accumulating snow is expected to fall between sunset Friday and sunrise Saturday. D.C. residents will likely wake up to a coating of snow Saturday morning, the forecasters said.

"The snow will be heavy enough to shovel and plow in much of the Interstate-95 corridor from Virginia to the New York City area, leading to slippery and slow travel with the risk of accidents and traffic standstills," AccuWeather reported Thursday morning.

Dominion Energy said it is monitoring the winter storm and its potential to affect its service territory across Virginia Friday and Saturday. The utility company suggested that residents download its app to report power outages and track status updates.

The Virginia Department of Transportation said it will begin to pre-treat Interstate 95 and other major routes in its Fredericksburg district on Thursday in preparation for the snow on Friday.

Drivers should expect daytime delays on I-95 southbound as crews spray a brine solution beginning in Prince William County then proceed to mile marker 101 in Caroline County. Crews will then turn around at Doswell in Hanover County and pretreat travel lanes on I-95 northbound to exit 150.

Virginia State Police will escort the slow-moving equipment on I-95 northbound and southbound to ensure trucks applying brine and crash-cushion vehicles can all travel together.

Once the nearly 300 lane miles of I-95, ramps and overpasses are pretreated, brining will begin on primary roads in the Fredericksburg area. In the Northern Neck area, pre-treatment is already underway on primary roads, VDOT said.

After the storm moves through, cold temperatures will remain through Sunday. Warmer temperatures are in the forecast starting Feb. 1 and for the rest of next week.

Here's the NWS forecast for D.C. and Northern Virginia over the next several days:

Friday: A slight chance of snow before noon, then a chance of rain and snow between noon and 4 p.m., then snow likely after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 37.

Friday night: Snow likely, mainly before 4 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Saturday: A chance of snow, mainly before 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 24. Blustery, with a northwest wind 15 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph.

Saturday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 13.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 32.

Sunday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 39.

Monday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 24.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 45.