Key points:
- I-95 Reopens: VDOT reopens a now cleared I-95,” as traffic transitions to Route 1.
- Morning commute advisory: Chance of showers, drizzle could mean icy spots Wednesday morning — especially east of D.C.
- Forecasting more snow Thursday night and Friday morning: “Plowable amounts,” per Storm Team4’s Matt Ritter, but it won’t be as bad as Monday’s storm.
- Power outages: Thousands are without power across the D.C. area.
- Closures: See WTOP’s updated list of closures and delays.
While the D.C. region has had a chance to thaw somewhat Tuesday, conditions are expected to get dicey yet again, with temperatures expected to drop below freezing Tuesday night.
In addition, the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Wednesday morning in eastern Maryland due to a chance of some spotty rain and drizzle that could mean icy patches.
“But the clouds will break up tomorrow and we will become partly sunny by afternoon with more seasonable temperatures,” said Storm Team4’s Matt Ritter.
It will be a brief respite though: There’s the chance for more snow Thursday night and Friday morning.
“The next system to watch will be an energetic storm but also a fast mover,” he said.
While it probably won’t compare to what hit the region on Monday, “we are looking at another chance for some plowable snowfall amounts,” Ritter said.
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Power outages:
Thousands of Virginia homes remain without power in portions of the state that were buried under a foot or more of snow — and they are expected to endure a few more days without power.
Dominion Energy, a major power provider for two million Virginians, said that the majority are expected to see power restored by late Wednesday evening and early Thursday. It does not, however, have an estimation for full power restoration ahead of the next winter storm system.
The utility provider said that it saw roughly 400,000 customers experience a power outage since snow and high winds hit the area on Monday morning, calling the storm one of the top five worst storms in the company’s history. As of 3 p.m. on Tuesday, approximately 290,000 customers were said to have seen service restoration.
Charlene Whitfield, senior vice president of Power Delivery at Dominion Energy Virginia, released a statement saying that the company is doing it’s best to respond to the damage they’ve seen in the state.
“We have a well-coordinated effort underway involving thousands of hardworking men and women, both on the front lines and behind-the-scenes, to restore service as safely and quickly as possible,” Whitfield said.
When asked about the potential for more snow moving through the D.C. area, Dominion said that it is relying on the work of its meteorologists and preparing accordingly.
“Our main focus right at this point is making sure we can get the power back on,” Dominion Energy told WTOP. “[We are] starting with nursing homes, hospitals and high-priority customers to make sure their health and safety are taken care of.”
The response, according to Dominion, included its crews, contractors, support staff and over 800 mutual aid workers.
Forecast:
Tuesday night: Becoming mostly cloudy. Not as cold but enough for refreeze and icing. Also some patchy freezing drizzle will be possible mostly east of D.C. Lows in the mid 20s to near 30.
Wednesday: Cloudy in the morning with any freezing drizzle ending. Becoming partly sunny. A bit milder and more seasonable. Highs in the low to mid 40s.
Thursday: Cloudy and seasonably chilly. Periods of snow arriving at night. Highs in the low to mid 40s.
Friday: Snow ending in the morning after a few inches of accumulation. Blustery and cold the rest of the day. Highs in the upper 20s to low 30s.
Current conditions:
WTOP’s Jack Pointer, Kristi King and Matt Small contributed to this report.
