[Archived] Winter Storm Expected Wednesday: Are You Prepared?

For Immediate Release: March 20, 2018

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the City of Alexandria from 2 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21. Heavy snow is forecast, with total snow accumulations of 4 to 8 inches expected in our area.

The City urges all residents and businesses to be prepared for this storm. Severe winter weather conditions will make travel hazardous, with significant reductions in visibility at times. Heavy snow may also cause power outages. The public is urged to take the forecast seriously and make an emergency plan.

"The best thing you can do to protect your family or your business against any type of unforeseen emergency year-round is to have three days of food, water and medicine available and to have a plan for what to do if you can’t travel safely," said Corey Smedley, the City’s emergency management coordinator. “In this case, the emergency is not unforeseen. Even if we don’t get all the weather the forecast says is possible for a given storm, it’s always smart to be prepared."

Crews will stage equipment and prepare to work 24 hours a day to clear roads if necessary. Residents and businesses can help by staying off the roads during and after snowfall, not parking on snow emergency routes, promptly clearing sidewalks and entrances, not shoveling snow into the street, and clearing snow from around fire hydrants and storm drains.

The City clears snow from more than 560 lane miles of roadway, 20 miles of City-owned walkways and trails, and 44 acres of municipal parking lots or City-owned squares. Roads are plowed by priority, with primary and snow emergency routes cleared first, followed by secondary routes and then residential streets. During a major storm, it may only be possible to plow roads so that they are passable for emergency vehicles, rather than down to the pavement across all travel lanes.

• If your power goes out, report it to Dominion Energy at 866.DOM.HELP (866.366.4357) or www.dom.com. To report a water main break or for questions about water service, contact Virginia American Water at 800.452.6863.
  

• Meeting cancellations and facilities closures will be posted on alexandriava.gov. For Alexandria City Public Schools operating status, see www.acps.k12.va.us/emergency.
  

• For questions or concerns about storm response, call 703.746.HELP or use Call.Click.Connect. Please call 911 only if you need immediate police, fire, or emergency medical assistance.
  

• For details, including storm level definitions and preparedness information, visit alexandriava.gov/Snow, sign up for the City’s Alexandria eNews service, or connect online at alexandriava.gov/SocialMedia.  For updates during the storm, visit alexandriava.gov.

For media inquiries, contact Andrea Blackford, Senior Communications Officer, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.