Closed on Friday or early closing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ready to sent this email.

I am writing because the decision to close schools over barely any snow was extremely frustrating and, frankly, unreasonable. Many of us have attended school in real snowfall before with no issues, so shutting everything down for a trace of snow feels like an overreaction.

This kind of decision disrupts families, throws off schedules, and makes it hard for students to stay on track. I’m asking that future closures be based on actual hazardous conditions, not minimal flurries, and that communication is clearer and more thoughtful.

Please do better going forward. Students and families deserve decisions that make sense.

Welcome to northern Virginia.

I assume, based on your letter, that you have never experienced snowfall in this area?

It is not quite as bad as Texas, where cars start sliding off the road at the first sign of frost. At least Texas drivers know their limitations and mostly stay home. That is why Garza cancelled for frosty sidewalks in Herndon. She knew her limitations.

This area has a significant number of imports from warm climates who don't know how to drive on snow so they drive on idle, plus an even larger number of jerks who think that you can go as fast as you can on snow, not realizing that just because you can drive on snow doesn't mean you can stop on snow.

When it snows, these 2 drivers always seem to converge on the Beltway, 395 and I95 at exactly the same time, right as trucks are trying to treat the roads.

They turn those 3 highways into a parking lot within an hour of the first snowflake. Fast drivers crash info those going too slow, or slide across lanes when they slam on their breaks
Cars run out of gas, and now we have the added issue of electric car batteries dying.

The first real snowfall always goes like this in DC. It is why the term Snomaggedon was coined.

Once you live hear for 1-2 snow storms, you will quickly learn that letters like you wrote just get scoffed at and tossed.

The first snowfall here does not mean a run on toilet paper and wine.

It means hours of people sitting in their cars on the highways waiting for roadside assistance.

Snowmageddon was coined when the DC/Baltimore are had two 20+ inch blizzards within about 10 days.

How about $hit Snow? That sticks.

[Anonymous]

My guess is that we hear of a closure by 8pm


URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
156 PM EST Thu Dec 4 2025

...SOME SNOW AND VERY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL RESULT IN TREACHEROUS
TRAVEL FOR THE FRIDAY MORNING COMMUTE...

.A combination of light snow and very cold temperatures will result
in treacherous travel Friday morning. The morning commute will be
impacted, with slick and icy roads and sidewalks expected

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What the "I grew up in Upstate NY/Michigan/Boston" crowd always fails to remember is that Virginia simply doesn't have the equipment to deal with snow. They don't have as many plows, as many trucks to pretreat roads, or as many buses that can run in extreme temperatures. Virginia doesn't have enough snow events to warrant having all that equipment on hand. Other than 2009-10 winter when we had multiple storms each over a foot of snow, it just doesn't happen that often. And FCPS closes for cold when buses simply won't start because it's so cold. We had a couple of Polar Vortex years that made bussing kids to school impossible a few times.

More relevantly, we are on the ice/snow line here and sometimes get significant snow and sometimes get ice, which is much worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People do not seem to understand that there is a difference between a "dusting" of snow in Dec (when the ground is warm) and a "dusting" of snow in late Jan when the ground is colder and a "dusting" of snow in late March when the ground is warming back up. Yes, FCPS often cancels for an inch of snow in Jan. But not when the snow melts as soon as it touches the roads.

Are you new here?

No, I have lived here for nearly 30 years. Have you? Don't you remember the several times over the past 10 tears when it snowed 1-3 inches in late March or early April, and FCPS didn't even give delays? Because the roads were fine -- just wet. All of the accumulation was on the grass only.

[Anonymous]

Snow in the middle of the day that won't stick. No need to cancel or delay a thing, luckily! Let's get that learning on!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Snow in the middle of the day that won't stick. No need to cancel or delay a thing, luckily! Let's get that learning on!

What forecast are you looking at? The one I’m seeing says winter precipitation between 4:30-8am. That’s not in the middle of the day.

[Anonymous]

This is the reason why we can't and shouldn't have all these 4 day school weeks for every random thing in the Fall. Now Winter is here and our kids will be out of school AGAIN!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:was that the storm that people were trapped in their cars downtown and on 395?

There was the one where 495 shut down and I forget which senator got stuck in the mess. That was just a couple years ago, but I think schools were closed that day.

It was on January 4, 2022. School was closed for students. People were stuck on 95 for 27 hours. Tim Kaine was one of them.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/04/politics/tim-kaine-stranded-interstate-95-winter-storm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:was that the storm that people were trapped in their cars downtown and on 395?

There was the one where 495 shut down and I forget which senator got stuck in the mess. That was just a couple years ago, but I think schools were closed that day.

It was on January 4, 2022. School was closed for students. People were stuck on 95 for 27 hours. Tim Kaine was one of them.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/04/politics/tim-kaine-stranded-interstate-95-winter-storm

I thinkk that was Snowmicron named after the omicron variant of COVID that was spreading at the time.

And Tim Kaine is a moron for driving into a raging snowstorm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Snow in the middle of the day that won't stick. No need to cancel or delay a thing, luckily! Let's get that learning on!

Impressive to be that wrong in a single sentence. Snow will start before sunrise and will stick immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My guess is that we hear of a closure by 8pm


URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
156 PM EST Thu Dec 4 2025

...SOME SNOW AND VERY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL RESULT IN TREACHEROUS
TRAVEL FOR THE FRIDAY MORNING COMMUTE...

.A combination of light snow and very cold temperatures will result
in treacherous travel Friday morning. The morning commute will be
impacted, with slick and icy roads and sidewalks expected

LOL. When I think of the word "treacherous", I imagine a blizzard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Snow in the middle of the day that won't stick. No need to cancel or delay a thing, luckily! Let's get that learning on!

Impressive to be that wrong in a single sentence. Snow will start before sunrise and will stick immediately.

Henrico just closed, I think we’ll hear tonight

[Anonymous]

Does FCPS ever make the decision before Loudoun announces their own plans? Maybe we are waiting for Loudon before we can know?

[Anonymous]

Not so much about the snow, but the timing and ice! It was 27 this morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does FCPS ever make the decision before Loudoun announces their own plans? Maybe we are waiting for Loudon before we can know?

Loudoun County is supposed to get less snow than Fairfax County.