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Fairfax County has declared a local emergency ahead of Winter Storm Fern, allowing officials to mobilize additional resources and request outside assistance as heavy snow and potentially catastrophic ice approach the region.
The storm is expected to reach the Washington area Saturday night and continue into early Monday, Jan. 26. The National Weather Service forecast calls for seven to 14 inches of snow, sleet and freezing rain. A Winter Storm Warning begins at 11 p.m.
The declaration lets Fairfax County accelerate resource deployment, coordinate with state and regional partners, and take emergency measures to protect residents and property.
County facilities—including parks, libraries and community centers—will close at 8 p.m. Saturday and remain closed Sunday. Police, emergency personnel and employees supporting hypothermia shelters will continue working.
Federal assistance is also being mobilized. President Donald Trump approved the statewide emergency declaration issued Thursday, Jan. 22, by Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate relief efforts and assist state and local governments.
FEMA may identify and deploy equipment and other resources needed to reduce the storm’s effects. Eligible emergency protective measures involving direct federal assistance will receive 75% federal funding.
The agency has suspended ongoing dismissals of disaster response and recovery employees as the potentially destructive storm develops. About 300 workers had been let go in January after the Department of Homeland Security declined to renew their contracts.
Widespread outages and travel disruption expected
Forecasters warned that damage in areas suffering severe ice accumulation could rival hurricane damage. About 140 million people—more than 40% of the U.S. population—were under winter storm warnings.
By Saturday morning, nearly 10,000 flights had been canceled nationwide and more than 95,000 power outages had been reported, including approximately 10,000 in Virginia.
Dulles International Airport warned that delays and cancellations were likely from Saturday evening through Sunday and possibly longer. Travelers were urged to confirm their flight status or rebook directly with their airlines.
Snow crews will treat and clear runways as conditions deteriorate. Dulles plans to rotate closures among its multiple runways, allowing one freshly cleared runway to remain available for arrivals and departures when possible.
Fairfax County was already dealing with an unrelated outage before the storm arrived. At noon Saturday, 452 Dominion Energy customers lacked electricity, primarily around Sully Square in Chantilly.
The outage began around 4 a.m. after equipment failed, breaking two cross arms and bringing down several spans of wire. The number of affected customers peaked at 6,103 shortly after 4:10 a.m. before crews reduced it substantially.
Dominion spokesperson Aisha Khan said repairs were underway and estimated that power would return between 1 and 4 p.m., probably closer to 4 p.m.
National Guard and road crews move into position
Residents may see Virginia National Guard members in Fairfax County before, during and after the storm. Spanberger activated the Guard under the state emergency declaration, and equipment and personnel have been staged locally.
Guard members could help first responders with high-clearance vehicles and heavy equipment, transport essential personnel, answer response calls and move critical supplies through hazardous conditions.
The Virginia Department of Transportation pretreated roads with brine Friday and plans to operate crews in 12-hour shifts. More than 3,350 pieces of equipment have been assembled in Northern Virginia for snow removal.
VDOT urged residents to stay off roads after snow begins and immediately after it stops. Crews will begin plowing once two inches have accumulated, but neighborhood streets may not be reached quickly because interstates, primary roads and secondary roads receive priority.
Residents can follow plowing activity through VDOT’s near-real-time map and report trees or other obstructions blocking roads online.
Metro canceled scheduled track work for the weekend and prepared for at least 10 inches of snow. The transit agency warned that heavy accumulation could delay or suspend bus, rail and MetroAccess service.
Service decisions will depend on snowfall totals, accumulation rates and other conditions. Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke said equipment, supplies and personnel had been staged, but riders should monitor official updates and prepare for service changes as the storm intensifies.