The Weather (2026)

[Natsinpwc]

Going 80 today Orlando.  Just saying.   

[tomterp]

This young guy does a really nice job talking about the storm from where its forming in the southwest all the way through the east coast.  You can jump ahead to the important stuff, Henrico county etc.   

This is really going to f- up all the trails in Shenandoah NP.  We are really ahead of the game this winter with about 85% of my blue blazed trails fully cleared, with victory in sight for the rest.  Dry snow is likely no big deal but up to an inch of freezing rain will wreck havoc on the parks trails and road (Skyline Drive). 

[imref]

Going 80 today Orlando.  Just saying.   

i just left Fort Lauderdale to head home for this storm. Sigh...

[imref]

This young guy does a really nice job talking about the storm from where its forming in the southwest all the way through the east coast.  You can jump ahead to the important stuff, Henrico county etc.   

This is really going to f- up all the trails in Shenandoah NP.  We are really ahead of the game this winter with about 85% of my blue blazed trails fully cleared, with victory in sight for the rest.  Dry snow is likely no big deal but up to an inch of freezing rain will wreck havoc on the parks trails and road (Skyline Drive). 

The last ice storm I can remember of this intensity was around 1993 or so. I remember driving down I-81 to SW Virginia and seeing scenes that looked like a nuclear weapon had gone off. Just trees broken everywhere. I imagine it will take a while to clear trails this spring, especially given current staffing.

[1995hoo]

i just left Fort Lauderdale to head home for this storm. Sigh...

My brother-in-law in Pembroke Pines was complaining earlier this week about how "cold" it was down there. So last night I took some pictures of the TV screen when Doug Kammerer and Amelia Draper were on and I sent them to him and his wife asking, "Wish you were here?"

[imref]

My brother-in-law in Pembroke Pines was complaining earlier this week about how "cold" it was down there. So last night I took some pictures of the TV screen when Doug Kammerer and Amelia Draper were on and I sent them to him and his wife asking, "Wish you were here?"

High was around 72 and cloudy for the last few days.

[imref]

Got two warnings up now from the NWS out of Sterling VA. First is for wind chill temps of around -10 overnight tonight. Second is for the storm:

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM SATURDAY TO 4 AM EST
MONDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy mixed precipitation expected. Total snow and sleet
accumulations between 8 and 14 inches, with the highest amounts
closer to the Blue Ridge and along the Maryland and Pennsylvania
border. Ice accumulations between one tenth and two tenths of an
inch, especially south and east of the US-28 and US-15 corridors.

* WHERE...Portions of central and northern Maryland and northern
Virginia.

* WHEN...From 11 PM Saturday to 4 AM EST Monday.

* IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult to impossible.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Snow will likely overspread the area by
Saturday evening, becoming heavy at times Saturday night with
rates of one to two inches per hour possible at times. A mix with
sleet or freezing rain is expected Sunday, especially south of
Interstate 70. Significant icing is possible especially across
central Virginia. Visibility of one-quarter mile or less is
possible at times. A prolonged period wind chills in the teens and
single digits is likely beginning this evening and lasting through
the middle of next week, with sub-zero wind chills possible at
times.

[varoadking]

The last ice storm I can remember of this intensity was around 1993 or so. I remember driving down I-81 to SW Virginia and seeing scenes that looked like a nuclear weapon had gone off. Just trees broken everywhere. I imagine it will take a while to clear trails this spring, especially given current staffing.

Relax...it's way too early to pay attention to these predictions...

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Relax...it's way too early to pay attention to these predictions...

well, we are just about in the 24 hour window. If  you are still on the way too early thing, then you are essentially say forecasts are valueless. I hope the government of the fashionable west end of Henrico County does not decide to omit brining your neighborhood based on your skepticism.

[imref]

The wxrisk guy’s latest update notes model disagreement between sleet or freezing rain on Sunday.

[varoadking]

well, we are just about in the 24 hour window. If  you are still on the way too early thing, then you are essentially say forecasts are valueless. I hope the government of the fashionable west end of Henrico County does not decide to omit brining your neighborhood based on your skepticism.

We won't know if it's gonna snow until we actually see it falling...long range predictions are worthless...

[1995hoo]

We won't know if it's gonna snow until we actually see it falling...long range predictions are worthless...

Weather forecasting method: Hang blue box on wall. If box is dry, it’s sunny. If box is wet, it’s raining. If box is white, it’s snowing. If box is not on wall, it’s windy.

[imref]

Weather forecasting method: Hang blue box on wall. If box is dry, it’s sunny. If box is wet, it’s raining. If box is white, it’s snowing. If box is not on wall, it’s windy.

we used a weather rock in scouts.

[imref]

Went by the local Giant yesterday afternoon. It was busy, but not insane. They still had some ground beef left. Chicken was down to wings & thighs. We got the last two packages of ground chicken. They were low on milk and eggs but not yet out. I imagine by today eggs, milk, and ground meat will be gone.

Good luck everyone!

[imref]

Kammerer says models are trending toward more of a freezing rain event rather than sleet for the DC area. That ain’t good.

[HalfSmokes]

Went by the local Giant yesterday afternoon. It was busy, but not insane. They still had some ground beef left. Chicken was down to wings & thighs. We got the last two packages of ground chicken. They were low on milk and eggs but not yet out. I imagine by today eggs, milk, and ground meat will be gone.

Good luck everyone!

It’s insane. The roads will be fine by Tuesday or Wednesday and they’ll be restocked

[varoadking]

Local weather guy just told us to "...expect catastrophic damage to the power grid that will take weeks to repair..."

[HalfSmokes]

Local weather guy just told us to "...expect catastrophic damage to the power grid that will take weeks to repair..."

If they’re right about 2-3 inches of sleet, trees and power lines are coming down

[varoadking]

If they’re right about 2-3 inches of sleet, trees and power lines are coming down

I just think the hyperbolic adjectives and damage estimates are a bit over the top...

What's worse...nobody calls them out when things they predict don't come to pass...

FWIW...the first flurries are supposed to start in an hour, and they're calling for about 1/2" of frozen rain here...so we'll see...

[1995hoo]

What I’d like to know is whether, given the forecast for below-freezing temperatures for over a week, the Potomac will freeze over, and if so by how much. The last time the ice was thick enough to walk on was 1978 or 1979. (The C&O sometimes freezes solid, but that’s very different from the river.)

[imref]

But will the raw sewage freeze?

[imref]

It’s insane. The roads will be fine by Tuesday or Wednesday and they’ll be restocked

Depends on if people can get out of their neighborhood. Temps won’t go above freezing until a week from Monday. 

[imref]

If they’re right about 2-3 inches of sleet, trees and power lines are coming down

sleet isn’t an issue freezing rain is the issue as it sticks to power lines and trees.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I just think the hyperbolic adjectives and damage estimates are a bit over the top...

What's worse...nobody calls them out when things they predict don't come to pass...

FWIW...the first flurries are supposed to start in an hour, and they're calling for about 1/2" of frozen rain here...so we'll see...

for preparedness, while there's the risk of having people grow numb to warnings when the event is lighter than the warning, it's absolutely right to scale the warning to the potential threat. A good amount of water in the air, cold enough for frozen precip, temps in a range where a lot that will be ice. Precautions for bad travel and power loss are prudent, and keeping folks off the road makes sense.

[The Chief]

Whatever comes to pass, everyone please be safe and good luck!