Washington, D.C
DC region preps ahead of snowstorm; 5″-8″ of snow expected in metro area
What to Know
- The D.C. metro area, central Maryland and Northern Virginia could get about 5″-8″ of snow, and some isolated locations could get more.
- Areas toward the west could get 8″-12″ or snow or even higher.
- Snowfall may be heavy at times, and all that precipitation will have a big impact, making travel difficult, decreasing visibility and creating icy conditions.
- Officials are urging people to stay off the roads Sunday and Monday.
- Amtrak announced cancelations of dozens of trains Sunday through Tuesday.
The D.C. region’s first major winter storm of the season is on its way, and it’s expected to pack a punch with several inches likely in the metro area.
That massive storm system will move in late Sunday night, bringing impactful snow through Monday.
Amtrak has canceled dozens of trains along its Northeast Corridor, and Culpeper County Public Schools in Virginia announced snow days for students both Monday and Tuesday. In Loudoun County, residents rushed to the polls Saturday to cast ballots early in a special election so they could be sure to get it done before the snow arrives.
The National Weather Service has declared a Winter Storm Warning for the region starting Sunday at 10 p.m. through Tuesday at 1 a.m. See all weather alerts here.
How much snow will DC, Maryland and Virginia get?
Expected snow totals have increased as Storm Team4 continues to track the storm.
The D.C. metro area, central Maryland and Northern Virginia could get about 5″-8″ of snow, and some isolated locations could get more, perhaps up to 10″. If the precipitation stays all snow, we could see possibly a foot in some locations.
Off toward the west, around the Blue Ridge Mountains, we could see about 8″-12″ or even higher.
Lower amounts are expected farther north. Near the Maryland/Pennsylvania border, about 3″-6″ of snow are expected, with the possibility for a little bit of a mix with some freezing rain and sleet.
Winter Storm Warning issued for much of the region
In addition to the National Weather Service’s Winter Storm Warning, Storm Team4 also has declared a Weather Alert.
We’re expecting to see snow falling for hours, Storm Team4 Meteorologist Jessica Faith said. Snowfall could be heavy at times, and all that precipitation will have a big impact, making travel difficult, decreasing visibility and creating icy conditions.
The snow is expected to begin late Sunday, with the highest snowfall rates overnight Sunday into Monday morning. It may mix with sleet in some areas Monday morning to afternoon, especially along the Interstate 66 corridor, the weather service said.
Roads, bridges and overpasses will likely be slippery, making travel difficult throughout the Monday morning and
evening commutes. Officials in D.C., Maryland and Virginia are asking people to avoid travel during the snowfall if possible.
Wet, heavy snow or freezing rain could topple branches and trees, causing power outages.
Closures are likely Monday and could also be possible again Tuesday.
State of Emergency declared in Virginia; State of Preparedness in Maryland
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a State of Emergency ahead of the winter storm, encouraging people to adjust travel plans to stay off the roads during the snow.
“I am declaring a state of emergency for the incoming winter storm currently forecasted to impact Virginia starting Sunday, and I’m encouraging all Virginians, visitors, and travelers to stay alert, monitor the weather forecast, and prepare now for any potential impacts,” Youngkin said in a statement. “… If you find yourself needing to be on the roadways, please heed any warnings and make sure you are keeping yourselves and others safe. Our pre-treating preparations are underway and substantial state and local resources will continue to actively monitor the forecast and respond through the weekend.”
In Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore declared a State of Preparedness for Sunday through Monday.
“Marylanders are cautioned to avoid travel if possible, to follow local forecasts, and to stay prepared for winter storm hazards,” a release from Moore’s office said.
Moore warned residents that roads will be icy, and people should avoid travel if possible. Anyone who does need to go anywhere should be extremely careful.
DC, Maryland, Virginia crews prepare for snow
As crews across the region get ready, we’ve already seen plows and salt trucks out all over the place.
The Virginia Department of Transportation said teams in Northern Virginia are pretreating interstates, primary roads and high-volume secondary roads, as well as bridges, ramps and overpasses.
“Crews will start staging on area roads Sunday morning and will begin treatment as snow begins Sunday evening and night,” VDOT said late Saturday afternoon.
Officials are asking travelers to get to their destinations by Sunday afternoon, and after that, to delay all non-essential travel until after the snow. Any drivers should make sure their vehicles contain emergency supplies.
“Be prepared for a multi-day response to this storm,” VDOT said. Crews will treat interstates first, then primary routes and high-volume secondary roads, and residential streets last.
Virginia State Police are adjusting the number of state troopers on the roads Sunday and Monday because of the storm.
In D.C., the District Snow Team will be deployed at noon Sunday, and crews will begin pretreating roads at 8 p.m. on all snow emergency routes. Crews have already been pretreating D.C. government properties, including sidewalks, driveways and entryways at police stations, fire stations, shelters and schools.
While you’re out shoveling and salting, you can also lend a hand to your neighbors. The DC volunteer snow program links people who want to help with residents who can’t shovel their own walkways or driveways. Visit snowteam.dc.gov, and choose if you want to volunteer or if you’re a resident who could use the help. People will be paired with others from their own neighborhood. Volunteers can even get the tools they need for free to get the job done.
First school closures announced
Culpeper County Public Schools in Virginia announced all classrooms and offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 6. Classes will also be canceled Tuesday, Jan. 7 for students, but it will be a workday for staff.
NBC4 will share any other school closures as they’re announced, both here and on this list.
The wintery weather expected to hit the D.C. area has some people hunkering down, and others planning to embrace all the snow. News4’s Joseph Olmo reports.
Amtrak canceling dozens of trains
Amtrak announced dozens Northeast Regional and Acela trains will be canceled:
Sunday, Jan. 5:
Northeast Regional (Boston and Washington):
- Train 67 canceled
- Train 195 canceled between D.C. and Richmond
- Train 157 canceled between D.C. and Norfolk
Monday, Jan. 6:
Acela (between Boston and D.C.):
- Trains 2103, 2107, 2108, 2121, 2122 and 2124 canceled
- Trains 2150, 2154, 2168, 2170 and 2172 canceled between D.C. and New York
- Trains 2151, 2153, 2155, 2159 and 2173 canceled between New York and D.C.
Northeast Regional (between Boston and D.C.):
- Trains 141, 94 and 95 canceled between Norfolk and D.C.
- Train 171 canceled between Roanoke and D.C.
- Train 125 canceled between D.C and Newport News
- Train 93 canceled between New York and Norfolk
- Train 174 canceled between Richmond and D.C.
- Trains 170, 130, 172, 112, 182, 84, 86, 134, 138, 66, 151, 181, 119, 131, 193, 197, 175, 179 and 85 canceled
Carolinian (between Charlotte and New York):
- Trains 79 and 80 canceled between New York and Raleigh
Tuesday, Jan. 7:
Northeast Regional (Boston and Washington):
- Train 86 canceled between Richmond and D.C.
- Train 84 canceled between Norfolk and D.C.
Amtrak officials said they’ll waive additional charges for travelers looking to change their reservations during the modified schedule. Passengers should call 1-800-USA-RAIL and can follow @AmtrakNECAlerts on X for service alerts regarding the Northeast Corridor.
Safety tips for driving during snowfall
If you must travel during the snowfall, Virginia officials are sharing the following safety tips:
- Use headlights. Increasing your visibility helps you to see slick spots on the road and helps other drivers see you better.
- Keep your speed down. “Slowing your speed gives you more time to safely react and avoid a crash,” officials said. “Drive your vehicle based on your ability to properly maintain control of your vehicle.”
- Don’t tailgate. You need more distance from other vehicles when driving on slippery roads.
- Wear your seatbelt. “Most crashes that occur during winter weather are caused by vehicles sliding into guardrails, off the road or other vehicles,” officials said. “Wearing your seat belt protects you from being thrown around the inside of your vehicle and suffering serious injury in a crash.”
- Make sure your vehicle is in good working order. Fill up your gas tank tank in advance. Check your windshield wipers, windshield wiper fluid, tire treads and battery life.
- Pack winter travel safety items. You should have a window scraper, blankets, bottled water, snacks, a cell phone charger and a flashlight.
Winter weather safety and snow prep tips
The D.C. government shared these tips ahead of the snow:
- Make sure you have a snow shovel.
- Check and put down your supply of abrasives – deicer, rock salt or non-clumping kitty litter – and get more if necessary.
- Avoid driving during the worst part of the storm. If possible, only travel during daylight, don’t travel alone and stick to main roads.
- Check medications. Make sure you have enough over-the-counter and prescription medications for yourself and any family members or pets.
- Clear leaves from your gutters. Call 311 to report any clogged storm drains or other non-emergency hazards.
- Check smoke/CO detectors. Install a battery-operated or battery back-up carbon monoxide detector in your home and/or replace the batteries in existing devices.
- Be safe indoors. Don’t use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove or other gasoline-burning device inside your home, basement or garage.
- Prevent pipes from freezing by allowing a small trickle of water to drip.
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.
WASHINGTON (7News) — Tuesday was the last day the D.C. Council could vote to enact an expanded curfew in time for summer.
7News learned it never even made it on the agenda for a discussion and went to council members to find out why.
For the next two months, it’ll be up to the mayor to declare a curfew until the permanent version kicks in. There is already a city curfew. The curfew that has been up for debate for more than a year is the expanded version of the curfew. The expanded version allows the Metropolitan Police Department to create zones where teens 17 and under cannot gather in groups of nine or more.
RELATED | DC curfews pushed large groups into local neighborhoods, some residents say
Mayor Muriel Bowser currently has her own curfew order in place, which ends Saturday. The mayor can continue issuing an order. Councilmembers against the expanded curfew said that’s why it doesn’t need to come from the council.
In a video posted two weeks ago, D.C Council public safety chair Brooke Pinto said she wanted her councilmembers to vote to fill the gap today. 7News asked her why she never presented it to the council.
“Unfortunately, in working with my colleagues over the last several weeks, we did not have the votes,” said Pinto. “We have to have enough votes to pass the law and make sure that we didn’t have a gap.”
Bowser, in a letter to council Tuesday, said councilmembers Trayon White, Robert White, Zachary Parker, Brianne Nadeau and Janese Lewis-George are “blocking the will of the public and majority of council.”
7News spoke to three of the members she called out about the mayor’s pushback.
“I reject the rhetoric and the political games that are being played, and I’m wanting for us to get to the bottom of how do we stop the teen takeovers and the delinquent behavior we’ve been seeing,” Parker said.
“I stand by my belief that a curfew policy is a failed policy, kind of smoke and mirrors, and what we really needed is investments in our young people, so I’m pretty firm on that,” Nadeau said.
“We have to choose our tools and the time we use those tools. I’ve supported the curfew in the past, but I think with the current surge of more federal troops that have been impending, we’re putting our youth in even more danger by extending that work. I know the executive has put in an emergency executive order that will fill the gap. I hope that comes alongside extended hours, I’ve funded at DPR, extended weekends, and opening more safe spaces for youth here in the city. And that’s the solution that we do agree on,” Lewis-George said.
The mayor has not confirmed if she’ll issue another order, but it is on the table.
Whispers, mysteries still hang in air 50 years after Bolles’ murder
Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles died on June 13, 1976, 50 years ago. There are still mysteries surrounding his death from a car bombing.
A memorial designed to pay tribute to journalists who have died in pursuit of a story — including Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles, who had a bomb explode under his car 50 years ago — will soon have a home on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
The Fallen Journalists Memorial, set to open in June 2028, won’t include individual names of journalists. A rule says that unless Congress makes an exception, a memorial wall can only include a group whose last member died more more than a quarter century prior.
And the number of journalists who die in pursuit of truth continues to grow every year.
The foundation creating the memorial has featured journalists on its website. Included in the first round of those showcased is Bolles.
Bolles was a reporter with The Arizona Republic who investigated the mafia, land fraud and political corruption. He was killed in June 1976 by a bomb planted under his Datsun at a midtown Phoenix hotel, an incident that shocked the nation and shook the journalism community.
Barbara Cochran, president of the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation, said the aim was to remind people of the work done by journalists like Bolles.
“They go as eyewitnesses. They document,” she said. “They dig deep and come up with information that people don’t have time to do on their own.”
Bolles’ legacy was not just forged by his death, Cochran said, but the work his death inspired.
Scores of reporters from around the country descended on Phoenix to continue investigating political corruption as Bolles had.
That collective action sent a message.
“Even if you kill the journalist, you won’t kill the story,” Cochran said. “Don Bolles was really the symbol of that.”
The memorial will honor journalists who, like Bolles, were targeted for their reporting, Cochran said. It would also honor those who died in pursuit of a story.
That’s the story of at least five more Arizona journalists.
In 1985, Republic reporter Charles Thornton was killed in Afghanistan, which at the time was invaded by the Soviet Union. Thornton was a health reporter and took the trip to cover a clinic set up by Americans looking to save the lives of people injured in the war by bombs and chemical weapons.
Thornton knew the risks of traveling to a war zone. But said he thought it was worth it to bring the story of the injuries suffered by the Afghan rebels to Republic readers.
In 2007, two news helicopters collided while covering a police chase in midtown Phoenix. The helicopters, one from Channel 3, KTVK-TV, and one from Channel 15, KNXV-TV, each carried a cameraman and a pilot. All four men died when the helicopters crashed onto Steele Indian School Park.
Bolles will be the only Arizona reporter among the first to be honored as part of the new National Mall memorial project.
The physical memorial in Washington will be made up of glass rectangles.
On one end of the plaza, they will be laid in an abstract design. The glass rectangles could serve as benches on the plaza.
As visitors walk to the other end, the glass rectangles begin stacking. Visitors will then enter a circle formed by more glass rectangles.
On the ground in the center of the circle will be the words of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Reporter writes ‘the book I wanted to read’ on slain journalist Don Bolles
Axios reporter Jeremy Duda discusses “Murder in the Fourth State,” a book on the murder of The Arizona Republic’s Don Bolles, who died after a car bombing in 1976.
Arizona effort to create a Don Bolles memorial stalls at state Capitol
The DC memorial was introduced in Congress in 2019. It passed both the House and Senate unanimously in 2020 and was signed into law in December 2020 by President Donald Trump.
In contrast, a push to create a memorial for Bolles on the grounds of the state Capitol was proposed at the Arizona Legislature each of the past few years. But every attempt has stalled.
The bill passed the Arizona House unanimously this year. It was bottled up in the state Senate, as has happened since it was first introduced in 2023.
The Bolles memorial bill was assigned to the Senate Government Committee, chaired by state Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek. He did not give the bill a hearing, just as he had declined to do in the previous two sessions.
Hoffman, who has done contract work for the conservative groups Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action, has had an antagonistic relationship with the mainstream press and The Republic.
Rep. Selina Bliss, R-Prescott, the sponsor of the measure, said she is not sure exactly why Hoffman hasn’t given the bill a hearing. She expected it would easily pass if it made it to the state Senate floor.
“I can’t get into the minds of others,” she said, “why they choose to hear or don’t hear a bill.”
Bliss said she recognized the passion that Bolles had for journalism.
“It’s like a line of duty death, if you will,” she said. “People are killed in action doing what they do.”
Bliss said she was a teenager in Prescott at the time of the Bolles bombing. She remembers the experience as searing.
“It shook everyone so dramatically,” she said.
Bliss said she might expand the bill next session to include all fallen Arizona journalists, in hopes of getting it out of the logjam in the Senate.
Tim Eigo, president of the Arizona chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, has testified at the Arizona Legislature in support of the bill to allow a Bolles memorial.
Eigo said it was unfortunate that the bill was caught up in the swirl of current political feelings about journalism.
“I think people can get confused about whether dogged coverage is also advocacy. It’s not,” he said. “Some people get confused by that. So, they hesitate to honor a remarkable journalist like Don Bolles because there are other journalists they don’t like.”
Commemorating reporters who were targeted specifically because of their work like Bolles sends a signal, Eigo said.
“When we are honoring their accomplishments and commitment,” he said, “we are also defeating those who feel they can commit crimes against the press with impunity. … We are speaking truth to that cynical power.”
Shooting that killed journalists in Maryland inspired push for memorial
The idea for the DC memorial came after the June 2018 mass shooting at the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland. Five people were killed in the incident, four of them journalists.
The convicted gunman had filed a defamation suit against the newspaper after it reported on his legal troubles. He reportedly sent letters threatening to attack the newspaper’s journalists before he stormed the newsroom with a shotgun.
Retired U.S. Congressman David Dreier sat on the board of Tribune Publishing, the corporate owner of the sister newspapers, The Capital and the Maryland Gazette. Dreier, a Republican from California, worried that by 2019 the memory of the shooting was already fading.
He wanted a public memorial on the National Mall. The idea gained urgency, Cochran said, when the Newseum announced in 2019 that it was closing. That museum had an exhibition honoring slain journalists. Its centerpiece was the blown-out car from the 1976 Bolles bombing.
“There is nothing in Washington that talks about the sacrifices of journalists or that talks about the First Amendment, which is such a unique contribution to freedom and free expression for people everywhere,” Cochran said.
The location cited for it is a triangular plot of land about three blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The site, about a quarter-acre, was formed by the intersection of Independence Avenue and Maryland Avenue, which runs on a diagonal to the U.S. Capitol.
“The site has a clear view of the Capitol Dome,” Cochran said. “It’s a connection to journalism and a symbol of democracy. It reinforces the idea that journalism is a pilar of democracy.”
The memorial will not carry the names of any of the fallen journalists.
Cochran said a federal regulation governing memorials on the National Mall has a rule about those being honored in a group needing to have been deceased for more than 25 years.
“This is a memorial for which there would never be an end time,” she said.
Threats to press freedom are on the rise across the globe
The anniversary of Bolles’ death and the memorial underway come as journalists around the world face increased threats.
Reporters Without Borders, a global nonprofit advocating for independent journalism, has tracked press freedom around the world since 2002. The organization scores countries based on how free journalists are to report, evaluating the legal, political, economic and cultural constraints. It also looks at journalists’ safety working in the countries.
The organization’s 2026 World Press Freedom Index returned the lowest average score among all countries in 25 years.
The United States ranked as the 64th freest country in the world, dropping seven places from its ranking in 2025. The organization cited Trump’s continued attacks on journalists who cover him, as well as his administration’s pressure on networks and news outlets as part of the ranking.
Trump has made attacking the press and sowing distrust in traditional news media a hallmark of his agenda since his first run for higher office in 2015. He has threatened to ease libel laws to make it easier to sue news outlets.
Trump himself sued the CBS and ABC networks based on their journalists’ work. The networks settled despite legal experts saying the cases were weak.
U.S. presidents have long had an antogonistic relationship with the press.
George Washington, the first president of the United States, referred to journalists as “infamous scribblers.” Vice President Spiro Agnew called the press “nattering naybobs of negativism.” President Barack Obama used the Espionage Act to plug what he perceived were leaks from his administration to the press, according to the Cato Institute.
The Freedom of the Press Foundation, a nonprofit news advocacy group, has tracked more than 2,500 anti-press incidents in the United States since 2017, with nearly 1,400 assaults making up the majority. The tracker records non-physically violent threats, too, such as subpoenas and legal interventions, or chilling statements.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has recorded 17 journalists and reporters killed in the United States since 1992.
In Arizona, 28 anti-press incidents were recorded since 2017, including arresting reporters and denying them access to government events.
The Arizona incidents over the past decade include an interview subject who pushed and shoved an Arizona Republic reporter before stealing her cell phone during the interview, the detention by Phoenix police of a Wall Street Journal reporter who was talking to customers outside a bank, and the detention of an Arizona Republic photographer who was covering protests outside the state Capitol in 2024.
Taylor Seely is a First Amendment Reporting Fellow at The Arizona Republic / azcentral.com. Do you have a story about the government infringing on your First Amendment rights? Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or by phone at 480-476-6116.
Reach Richard Ruelas at richard.ruelas@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-444-8473.
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