Reston Sees First Significant Snow Since 2011

Reston residents finally got the snow day they were promised on Wednesday, when several inches of the white stuff fell during a rare late-Winter storm.

Schools and the federal government announced before dawn that Wednesday would be a snow day, even though local residents awoke to less than an inch of slush covering the ground.

But forecasters said by 9 a.m. the precipitation would turn to wet, heavy snow - and they were right.

Snow fell heavily and steadily in Reston right on schedule and continued through mid-afternoon.

The National Weather Service originally had a Winter Storm Warning in place through 3 p.m. Thursday, but it was lifted Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service then issues a winter weather advisory, predicting mixed rain and snow.

Meanwhile, many Reston businesses and services were closed at least part of the day. The YMCA closed at 4 p.m. Some stores at Tysons Corner Center closed by mid-day. All Fairfax County public libraries, including Reston Regional, closed at 11 a.m.

Road Conditions, Closings

• Use Patch's commute page for live traffic maps before you leave the office. Snow will mix with rain around 4 p.m., just in time for the afternoon rush.
• The Virginia Department of Transportation keeps a map with all incidents, road work and closures here: 511virginia.org

Emergency Information

• Fairfax County Emergency Information Blog

Power Outages

• To report an outage to Dominion Power, call 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357). To see Dominion's online outage map, click here. 

Other information to keep on hand:

• Virginia Traffic Information