Schools closed, flights canceled, more than 100,000 without power in region after winter storm

By Matt Delaney - The Washington Times - Monday, January 6, 2025

Slick roads, canceled flights and snowball fights were part of the D.C. area’s first major snowstorm in three years on Monday.

Work crews were up early to clear streets and sidewalks. By midday, almost 8 inches of snow had fallen in the outer suburbs. Officials expected up to 3 more inches during a second round of precipitation in the evening.

Major airports near the nation’s capital reported hundreds of flights canceled during the heaviest snowfall in the morning.

An estimated 100,000 customers were without power in Virginia and West Virginia as snow, sleet and freezing rain whipped through the region.

Officials said they were racing to move snow and slush off the roads before temperatures plummeted into the low 20s by nightfall.

“One of the biggest concerns we have is with this midnight freeze,” Col. Roland Butler, head of Maryland State Police, said at an afternoon press conference. “We don’t want anybody out there stuck overnight. It will take some time for us to get to you, so please be prepared. We will get you as quickly as we can.”

People appeared to heed warnings about keeping vehicles off the roads.

A few minor interstate crashes affected travel, mainly during the rapid morning snowfall.

Despite improved road conditions, Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland and Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia will remain closed Tuesday. Prince William County in Virginia and Baltimore City schools also canceled classes.

By late Monday, the federal government, the region’s largest employer, had not announced whether it would remain closed for a second day.

If the government opens Tuesday, the Maryland Area Rail Commuter and the Virginia Railway Express will likely operate. Both commuter train services were closed on Monday.

Amtrak preemptively canceled Tuesday trips for lines connecting the District with Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia. The Washington area Metrorail system was running its regular schedule on Monday.

Hundreds of flights at the region’s three major airports were either delayed or canceled at the storm’s peak, but the trend appeared to be leaning toward business as usual for Tuesday.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport said Monday evening it was shutting down its runways so it could remove snow and prevent refreezing at the airfield.

The airport’s website shows nearly all arrivals and departures are canceled until midnight as crews get to work on weather-proofing the landing strips.

It’s a change in tune from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which oversees Reagan National and Washington Dulles International Airport, also in Virginia. The authority had said earlier that airlines would have final say on arrival and departure schedules.

FlightAware’s “Misery Map” showed Reagan National has 82 total cancellations and six delays. Dulles International has 60 delays and 25 cancellations.

Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport had 22 delays and 31 cancellations. The Baltimore area received slightly less snow than the District and Northern Virginia.

Snow lovers were out enjoying the powder. Parents were sledding with their children down hills, and others young and old participated in an organized snowball fight in Meridian Hill Park in Northwest.

Varun, who asked not to use his last name because he was skipping work, told The Washington Times that he nailed a couple of people in the snowball fight, which came in waves.

He said he enjoyed watching dogs jump and try to catch snowballs in the no-man’s land that separated the two sides of the fight.

G-Wiz, the Washington Wizards mascot, ran through the middle of the snowball fight before aiming himself.

Joey, lingering on the periphery, told The Times he was content to watch the action. He said he was skipping work to take in the snowy sights, which included children building snowmen along the park’s main drag.