Rare, prolonged period of sleet hits DC region, with freezing rain risk looming

How snow and sleet are measured during snowstorms

While this weekend’s winter storm may not be remembered for the amount of snow it brought to the D.C. region, it may be remembered for the ice.

Snow transitioned to sleet Sunday morning, and according to the National Weather Service, snow totals topped out around 9 inches in the D.C. area, with most places seeing between 5 and 6 inches of snow accumulation. See a more complete list of snow totals across the region here.

Certain spots could see 3 or more inches of sleet on top of that snow, which is pretty unusual.

“Sleet is a common form of wintry precip, but extended periods of heavy sleet are pretty rare,” WTOP’s Dave Dildine said. “One of the only times it’s happened this century locally was Valentine’s Day, 2007, when a few inches of sleet fell.”

Temperatures Sunday afternoon were sitting well below freezing — around 20 degrees in most places. So why is it sleet and not snow?

“Usually we stay all snow when it’s this cold. What’s happened is the warm air aloft is melting the snowflakes as they fall from the clouds into rain drops, and then they get close to the ground, they refreeze into ice pellets before they reach the ground. That’s what sleet is,” WTOP meteorologist Matt Ritter said.

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And that sleet piled up Sunday, compacting the snow beneath the layer of ice pellets. Ritter said he saw reports of 2 to 3 inches of pure sleet on top of the 4 to 8 inches of snow that fell Sunday morning.

There is the potential for sleet to transition to freezing rain in some places Sunday night, which would bring a heightened risk for power outages and worsening driving conditions.

All the precipitation should end by 10 p.m. Sunday, Ritter said, but the storm’s impacts last far beyond that time.

“A lot of this is just going to freeze, as if it were going to be solid rock, making it even more difficult to clean up. And we’re not going to be above the freezing point again for at least a week. This cold weather’s going to stick around for days and days,” Ritter said.

Impacts across DC region

Local leaders from Virginia and Maryland told WTOP those who live on side streets may not see plows come through for a while.

Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins said her team is looking at a concerning potential bout of freezing rain Sunday night.

large crowd participates in snow ball fight pictured from slightly above — People participate in a snowball fight in Meridian Hill Park in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2026. A massive winter storm on January 24 dumped snow and freezing rain from New Mexico to North Carolina as it swept across the United States towards the northeast, threatening tens of millions of Americans with blackouts, transportation chaos and bone-chilling cold. After battering the country’s southwest and central areas, the storm system began to hit the heavily populated mid-Atlantic and northeastern states as a frigid air mass settled in across the nation. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)

person wearing astronaut gear gets hit with snow balls during big snow ball fight — People participate in a snowball fight in Meridian Hill Park in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2026. A massive winter storm on January 24 dumped snow and freezing rain from New Mexico to North Carolina as it swept across the United States towards the northeast, threatening tens of millions of Americans with blackouts, transportation chaos and bone-chilling cold. After battering the country’s southwest and central areas, the storm system began to hit the heavily populated mid-Atlantic and northeastern states as a frigid air mass settled in across the nation. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)

A man walks along a path as snow falls in DC — A man walks along a path as snow falls in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2026. A massive winter storm on January 24 dumped snow and freezing rain from New Mexico to North Carolina as it swept across the United States towards the northeast, threatening tens of millions of Americans with blackouts, transportation chaos and bone-chilling cold. After battering the country’s southwest and central areas, the storm system began to hit the heavily populated mid-Atlantic and northeastern states as a frigid air mass settled in across the nation. (Photo by Amid FARAHI / AFP via Getty Images)

children play on big pile of snow as parents watch from side — WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 25: Children play in the snow near the US Capitol on January 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. A massive winter storm is expected to bring frigid temperatures, ice, and snow to millions of Americans across the nation. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

snow landscape in dc with washington monument in the distance — A view of a snow covered National Mall in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2026. A massive winter storm on January 24 dumped snow and freezing rain from New Mexico to North Carolina as it swept across the United States towards the northeast, threatening tens of millions of Americans with blackouts, transportation chaos and bone-chilling cold. After battering the country’s southwest and central areas, the storm system began to hit the heavily populated mid-Atlantic and northeastern states as a frigid air mass settled in across the nation. (Photo by Amid FARAHI / AFP via Getty Images)

worker uses mini snow plow in front of us capitol — WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 25: An Architect of the Capitol worker clears snow from the West front of the U.S. Capitol on January, 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. A massive winter storm is bringing frigid temperatures, ice, and snow to nearly 200 million Americans from Texas to New England.. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

child sits in fort built out of snow — A young boy sits in a fort built out of snow in the D.C. area on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (WTOP/Abigail Constantino)

Snow gauge stuck in snow that reads 5 inches of accumulation — WTOP’s Dave Dildine measured nearly 5 inches of snow in Chevy Chase just before 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

little girl builds castle in snow — A little girl builds a structure in the snow in Germantown, Maryland, on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (WTOP/Linh Bui)

A plow clearing snow — A plow clears a parking lot in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (WTOP/Steve Dresner)

A car spins out in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2025. (WTOP/Steve Dresner)

Couple walking in Arlington — A couple walks in the snow in Arlington, Virginia, on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (WTOP/Sandy Kozel)

Dog enjoys snow in Bowie, Maryland — Skye frolics in the snow in Bowie, Maryland, (WTOP/Anne Kramer)

Birds on balcony in Upper Marlboro — Birds land on a balcony in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. (WTOP/Dan Ronan)

Dog plays in snow in DC — Emmett plays in the snow in a Chinatown park in the District. (WTOP/Bill McFarland)

Worker clears sidewalk in Maryland — A worker clears a sidewalk in Friendship Heights, Maryland, on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (WTOP/Giang Nguyen)

A Metrobus travels through Chevy Chase, Maryland, on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (WTOP/Julia Ziegler)

Snow plow — A small plow clears the area in front of a story in Chevy Chase, Maryland, on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (WTOP/Julia Ziegler)

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“If that is the case, then we’re going to have to keep focusing on the primary roads before we can get to any side streets. If that’s not the case then we might be able to start getting into neighborhoods much sooner. But we’ll have a better, I think, estimate probably by early morning on Monday,” she said.

In Maryland, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said once crews do get to side streets, there will be additional challenges.

“We’re focused on the main arteries right now,” Elrich said. “They’re going to have a coating of ice on many of the streets by the time we get there. That’s going to make it more difficult, for sure.”

While there aren’t reports of power outages yet in the D.C. region, officials with Pepco and Dominion Energy are warning that’s a possibility, especially if sleet turns to freezing rain in certain areas Sunday evening.

Read about how to prepare and how utility companies are planning to respond to potential outages here.

School systems call it early, cancel classes Monday

A slew of school systems, including those in Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William counties in Virginia and Anne Arundel County in Maryland, announced early in the day Sunday operational changes for Monday.

Some school closings for Tuesday were also announced Sunday, with Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools being among the first to make the call to cancel classes two days in advance.

Meanwhile, maximum telework is in effect Monday for federal government workers, and those who can’t telework will be granted weather and safety leave.

See the full list of closings and delays here.

Full forecast

SUNDAY: WINTER ALERT: Evening wintry mix with highs in the mid-20s and wind chills in the teens.
Winds: Northeast 10-20 mph

MONDAY: COLD ALERT: Mostly sunny. Highs between 24-29 and wind chills in the teens.
Winds: Northwest 10-20 mph, with gusts 35-40 mph

TUESDAY: Sunny and cold. Highs between 20 and 25.
Winds: Southwest 5-10 mph

WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. Highs between 19 and 24.
Winds: Northwest 5-10 mph

Current conditions

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