Unexpected snow causes icy crashes, forces school closures and late openings

Snow coated roads around the region early Monday, with ice making a mess of Interstate 95 for hours and causing multiple schools systems to open late or close Monday.

Northbound Interstate 95 in Fredericksburg, Virginia, was closed for about two hours after multiple crashes.

The Virginia Department of Transportation said it was treating roads for spot icing and asked motorists to avoid unnecessary travel.

One thing that certainly didn’t help drivers was a snow squall that moved through, WTOP Traffic Reporter Mary de Pompa said.

“The Rappahannock River Bridge was more than likely already icy,” de Pompa said, adding that crashes happened in both directions, and two at the same location in the northbound lanes.

In addition, multiple school systems are either opening late or closed due to the weather.

Schools in Culpeper, Fauquier and Madison counties in Virginia are opening two hours late. In Maryland: Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s county schools are opening two hours late.

Fredericksburg City Public Schools, Spotsylvania County Public Schools and Stafford County Public Schools in Virginia are closed, with FCPS and SCPS students learning remotely. Initially, Fredericksburg and Stafford were to open late.

In Maryland: Carroll County Public Schools are closed.

On the plus side, sun is in the forecast for Monday, although it will still be bitterly cold.



Forecast

Monday: Partly to mostly sunny, breezy and cold. Highs in the mid to upper 30s…wind chills in the teens and 20s.

Monday night: Clear and colder. Lows mid-teens to lower 20s.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny and warmer. Highs in the low to mid-40s.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Warmer. Highs low to mid-50s.

Thursday: Showers developing. Risk of a thundershower. Mild. Highs in the mid-60s.

Friday: Morning showers, then clearing and cooler. Highs around 50.

Radar

Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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