Arlington County Braces for 'Snowquester'

With Arlington in line to see its heaviest snowfall of the season, the county's Department of Environmental Services is spending Tuesday preparing for full mobilization.

The storm system is expected to dump 5 inches or more on Arlington starting late tonight. Locally, some are calling this storm the "snowquester."

Outlying areas of the Washington metro area could see as much as double the snowfall.

Arlington County will operate 46 of its trucks and will secure six or more contract trucks as needed, spokeswoman Shannon Whalen McDaniel said in an email.

According to Whalen McDaniel:

"Staff are now hooking up equipment to the trucks in preparation for the storm, including plows, spreaders and chains. Starting at midnight, crews will begin working in 12-hour shifts (in compliance with safe practice standards) to treat and clear the streets. These shifts will continue through the storm and and extend into Thursday and Friday if necessary.

"There are no current plans to haul or melt snow given the current forecast. This is subject to change depending on the storm.

"Residents are encouraged to use the County's online form to report a snow issue 24 hours after the snow has stopped falling.

"Stayed tuned to Facebook, Twitter, and Snow and Ice Central for updates about snow removal operations."

By 4 a.m. Wednesday, the Virginia Department of Transportation will have deployed 4,000 trucks in Northern Virginia. VDOT is responsible for 17,679 miles of road in Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Arlington counties, according to a news release. Arlington maintains its own secondary roads.

Read more: 

• Arlington County Storm Guide, numbers to keep on hand, emergency info
• Preparing for a Winter Storm in Arlington
• Tips on Driving in the Snow (When You Have to)