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Reston recorded Fairfax County’s highest preliminary snowfall total after a winter storm swept into the Washington region on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 22, leaving accumulations that varied sharply across the county.
The National Weather Service reported 4.5 inches in Reston at 6 a.m. Monday, Feb. 23. At the other end of the county, the Mount Vernon area received just 1 inch.
Other snowfall measurements reported shortly before 10 a.m. included:
- Dunn Loring: 3.5 inches at 5:30 a.m.
- Herndon: 3.3 inches at 8 a.m.
- Fairfax Station: 3 inches at 7:45 a.m.
- West Springfield: 3 inches at 8:20 a.m.
- Vienna: 2.7 inches at 8:09 a.m.
- Lake Barcroft: 2.5 inches at 7 a.m.
- Dulles International Airport: 2 inches at 7 a.m.
The preliminary figures showed a more typical winter storm than the one on Jan. 25, when some locations received more than 8 inches of snow along with sleet and ice. Prolonged extreme cold later hardened that accumulation into difficult-to-remove “snowcrete.”
This week’s snow was expected to disappear more quickly. Daytime temperatures were forecast to remain above freezing and reach 55 degrees on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Storm effects were relatively limited by late Monday morning. Dominion Energy reported 1,458 Fairfax County customers without electricity at 11:15 a.m., down from roughly 5,000 the previous night.
A fallen tree forced Old Dominion Drive to close between Spring Hill Road and Dominion Reserve Drive in McLean around 9:40 a.m. A crash at Route 7 and Reston Avenue temporarily blocked every travel lane, but the road reopened by 10:40 a.m.
Major roads appeared largely free of snow, although slick and icy patches remained a potential hazard.
Fairfax Connector ran most routes on a holiday weekday schedule. Routes 152, 161, 162, 703, 803 and 924 were operating on Saturday schedules with snow detours as of 10:20 a.m.
Fairfax County government offices, libraries and courts closed for the day. County trash and recycling collection continued normally, while the I-66 Transfer Station and I-95 Landfill Complex remained open.
In Vienna, crews had plowed all primary roads by 8 a.m. and moved to secondary streets. Heavy snow and overnight winds brought down several trees and power lines, including along Locust Street between Cottage Street and Courthouse Road, Park Street at Harmony Drive, Echols Street between Berry Street and Branch Road, Church Street at Glyndon Street, and Sherwood Drive. Drivers were urged to avoid those locations.
Herndon opened its administrative offices at 10 a.m. after a two-hour delay and offered liberal leave to eligible employees. Emergency service personnel were still required to report for duty.
Fairfax City opened municipal offices at 10:30 a.m., and CUE Bus service followed its regular schedule. The city’s General District Court closed, while parks and recreation programs for school-age children were canceled after Fairfax County Public Schools called off classes.
Fairfax City continued collecting trash and recycling Monday, but yard waste and debris pickup was suspended.