Live Updates About the Snow Storm and Blizzard in the Washington D.C. Area for February 5th and 6th, and the Secondary Storm February 8th and 9th!

There is a huge snowstorm, blizzard and general mess predicted for the Mid-Atlantic region for today and tomorrow. Living in the suburbs of Washington D.C., a place with projected snowfalls ranging from 16 to 30 inches, I’m in prime position to keep you posted about snowfall totals, snow accumulation and more details about the February 2010 blizzard.

I’ll be posting updates as time goes on, so keep on checking back for more information and hopefully some pictures about this blizzard and snowstorm. I’m reporting live from my weather studio headquarters (read: ground floor one bedroom apartment) in Rockville, Maryland, so this information should be solid for anybody interested in Washington D.C. metro area blizzard and snow fall information.

Monday February 8, 2010 – Closings, Roads and More

8:00 pm – Whew, that 4-8 inch forecast for the upcoming days was completely wrong. Instead, there’s 12-20 inches of snow expected! That’s right, another 12-20 inches of snow in the Washington D.C. area is expected for Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, potentially pushing the weekly total up to 50 inches – about 3 times the average for the entire season in the area!

Once again I’ll try to provide updates, either here on this blog or on an additional post with fresh information relating to this storm alone!

10:00 am – Well, the snow may have stopped for quite some time, but the mess is still just beginning. The roads are truly atrocious. Even major roads like Rockville Pike have been “plowed” but retain a 2-3 inch layer of ice and slush in most areas.

Above ground metro stations are still closed this afternoon, as is the Montgomery County government and most of their services including things like liquor stores and residential trash pickup.

To make things even more fun, there is another 4-8 inches of snow expected late Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday evening. So that means once everything is almost returning to normal, it will be taken back a few notches right afterward. Many people in the area still do not have power and could not regain power for the entire week by some estimates.

February 7, 2010 Washington D.C. Blizzard Updates

2:45 pm – Hello everybody, I’m coming back indoors from a 3 hour snow clearing extravaganza outside of my apartment. The snowplows have gotten the streets pretty clear, but in the meantime completely trapped in all of the cars. So it was quite the adventure to get the cars cleared, and there will be more work to do as well. Many people in the area have lost power and are still without it.

Here are some closings that have been reported for tomorrow: Prince George’s County, Prince William County, Washington County, Alexandria City, Arlington County, Charles County, Fairfax County

The following schools have been closed already for both tomorrow and Tuesday: Montgomery County, Stafford County, Frederick County, Loudoun County

As of now, DC Public Schools and the Federal Government have not made any report regarding their status for tomorrow. The above ground D.C. metro stations are still closed, and will be for all of today. Metro Access and Metrobus are also closed today as well.

Now it’s 3 pm, and there’s just enough time to get started making chili for the Super Bowl! Back to work…

Februrary 6, 2010 Washington D.C. Blizzard Live Blog

6:30 pm – Alright folks, it has officially stopped snowing here in Rockville. Actually it’s been calm for about an hour or so, and there was even a brief glimpse of light from the sky as opposed to the complete white-out effect that had been around since yesterday morning. There is a very slight chance the snow picks up again this evening, but if not then we’re all done!

Final snow totals and snow accumulation for my area seems to be about 26 inches, although it’s closer to 30 inches even in other nearby areas. I’ll sign off for this evening and then try to get a few more area updates in tomorrow afternoon to see what the status with everything is. Thanks for tuning in!

4:15 pm – The snow has been going strong all afternoon but now it finally seems to be slowing down. It’s still continuing to fall, but much, much lighter than it had been all morning and afternoon. There is still potential for it to pick back up again, and even continue snowing later this evening in the Washington D.C. area. Right now there is at least 2 feet, or 24 inches of snow on the ground in Rockville.

Winds are still strong and visibility is still low. Temperatures are also expected to keep dropping tonight – getting down to as low as 0 degrees with the wind chill. Not that you would be going anywhere to begin with, but you certainly wouldn’t want to when you factor in the cold!

Hopefully you have some good food and drink on hand. We just watched Paranormal Activity – disappointing and not as scary as expected after all of the hype.

1:15 pm – Alright I’m back from my excursion outdoors, and it’s a crazy/beautiful scene out there. According to my very scientific measuring procedures (bringing a tape measure and ruler outdoors and holding it next to various objects) there’s about 20-22 inches on the ground right now in my area of Rockville, Maryland, outside of Washington D.C.

The parking lot is absurd – you can hardly distinguish where cars end and the surroundings begin! The neighborhood and main streets are pretty empty, but surprisingly there are some brave/stupid souls driving around right now. Where could they possibly be going? Nothing is open, and the chances of getting stuck are basically 100%.

Snow is supposed to continue for another few hours, and it’s still coming down steady right now. The winter storm warning is still in effect through 10 pm eastern, and they are estimating that another 3-5 inches will end up falling in most areas. Stay tuned for more!

11:00 am – Welcome back to the wild winter wonderland everybody. A lot has changed overnight, and from taking a peek outside it appears there could be anywhere from 12 to 15 inches of snow on the ground right now. Between the drifts, the strong wind (gusts up to 30 mph) and the low visibility, it’s just hard to get a solid read on things. I’ll head out there in a bit with a ruler to see what I can find.

It’s also continuing to snow at a very rapid pace, with more big, wet snowflakes. Total snow accumulation for Washington D.C. is still estimated to be from 18-24 inches. Everything that was shut down last night is still shut down. There have been some power outages in many areas, and last night at least in my area they seemed pretty proactive about plowing the streets. But of course there’s only so much that can be done. Will check back in a bit after venturing outside. And yes, I did just wake up at 11 am.

February 5, 2010 Washington D.C. Blizzard Live Blog

11:20 pm – OK, the snow looks like it’s kicking up into gear and I’d say the total D.C. (Rockville, outside of my apartment, official figure) is about 7-8 inches as of right now. But of course, it’s only begun, and total accumulation estimates are still hovering in the 24 inches range, possibly higher.

The D.C. metro is officially shut down, not just for tonight, but for all tomorrow for above ground stations! Here’s the official word:

“As of 11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5, Metrorail will suspend above-ground rail service and will run in the underground portions of the system only. On Saturday, Feb. 6, Metrorail will run underground only.

Metrobus: As of 9 p.m. Metrobus will suspend bus service on all lines until further notice.”

So you’re trapped everybody! Which would not be bothersome at all besides the fact that months ago we had planned to attend the Virginia Wine Showcase, held tomorrow afternoon. And by planned to attend, I mean spent $70 on tickets that will now be wasted.

That’s because the Virginia Wine Showcase has stubbornly declared they will remain open regardless. Now, being stranded in a giant conference center with access to free samples from hundreds of different wineries sounds splendid. But how would I get there? How would I get back? How would the wine get there? It just doesn’t add up.

Anyway folks, final update for the night and then I’ll get back on it when I wake up. The bulk of the snow is still to come, so it should be interesting to see what I wake up to. Cheers everyone, stay safe and warm!

8:30 pm – It actually seemed like the snow took a bit of a break, but it’s back on and it’s combining with some wind to blow around the snow that has already fallen. That means visibility is pretty low, and it’s pretty cold out there as well. Lots of people seem to be looking around and checking out the snow – everybody is bracing and probably has expected there to be more on the ground than there is by now.

I’d say there’s about 5, maybe 6 inches on the ground. The majority of the snow is slated for after midnight, and the storm warning is in effect all the way until Saturday evening at 10 PM. The only question now is: movie marathon or video games?

Also of note in Montgomery County: Ride On buses will be off for the evening by 9 PM tonight. That means if you’re reading this at 8:35 PM… it’s probably too late to catch the last bus!

6:45 pm – The steady snow continues, and there’s a buildup of about three to four inches at least on the ground right now. The roads are starting to really get bad, so if you haven’t gone anywhere yet you probably want to settle in for the night. Montgomery County also issued a statement that said parking fees in garages were waived through Sunday, and people should park their cars there instead of in the streets if they have one close by.

4:15 pm – (Gasp) The snow continues! The roads are now starting to see a bit of snow accumulation, and the ground has several inches. More importantly, here’s an update for the D.C. metro. Is the D.C. Metro going to be closed today and tomorrow?

The official announcement is that the DC Metro will continue to operate as scheduled until there’s about an 8 inch accumulation of snow. At that point, above ground service stations on all lines will be closed! After about 6 inches, there will be heavy delays waiting for snow to be cleared on the third rail! So if you have to use the metro outside of the city limits, do it sooner than later.

Here are the operating DC metro stops once the snow piles up:

Yellow Line – Pentagon to Crystal City only

Red Line – Medical Center to Union Station only

Orange Line – Ballston to Stadium-Armory only

Green Line – Fort Totten to Congress Heights only

Blue Line – Ballston (extended to Blue Line) and Stadium-Armory only

3:00 pm – The snow is definitely starting to pick a bit more, it’s coming down quicker and the flakes are definitely larger. Not much is sticking to the road so far and there’s still been under probably an inch. You can fully expect the chairs in the picture included to be covered up by the end of the night!

12:45 pm – Went to 7/11 to stock up on a few extras like milk – and wine from the store across the street – that we forget to pick up last night. The grocery store last night was an absolutely miserable place to be, but chili needs to be made for the Super Bowl and supplies were needed. Unfortunately we forgot a few items so I had to run back out. So far the roads are clear but wet, still nothing has stuck to the ground …

Backed my car into its spot to make the inevitable rescue mission and escape process easier in a few days. Forecasters are saying the accumulation is really going to be late tonight and into early tomorrow morning, so we’ll see what develops for the rest of the day. Keep checking back here for all of the February 2010 DC blizzard, snow total and weather information you need.

11:30 am – The first snow is beginning to fall! Right now it’s coming down steadily but not too heavily, and nothing has stuck as of yet. Snowflakes are small and light. Predictions are about half a foot by the end of the afternoon, with the intensity picking up into the evening.

9:30 am – A caller to the Elliot in the Morning radio show on DC101 says that at the Pentagon briefing about the blizzard, they were preparing for 48 inches of snow. She said that totals have been systematically lowered so as to prevent panic. We’ve done nothing but instigate panic about wars, terrorism, the economy and healthcare, but we need to be carefully shielded from accurate precipitation forecasts?

9:00 am – Current snow projections for the Washington D.C. metro area are between 16 and 24 inches of total snow between today and tomorrow. Considering that an inch or two generally shuts down the region, this could get quite interesting. Weren’t snowstorms so much more exciting when you got off from school and didn’t have to do anything? There’s still about 2 inches of snow on the ground from last weekend’s snow, although all of the roads are clear.

This story was published by Jake Emen on Yahoo! Voices as a live blog beginning on February 5, 2010