Yesterday’s afternoon snow has left local roads icy today and no school for Fairfax County public school students.

The arrival of wintry weather in the D.C. area caused a stir on social media about whether or not locals panicked or appropriately prepared for the snow.

https://twitter.com/abeaujon/status/1214580527015088128?s=20

Now that the snow is over and we’re left with slushy streets, how did you react to the first flakes of the new year?

Photo courtesy Carmencita Lilangel Ovando

Get ready to bundle up if you venture outside this afternoon — forecasters expect a windy day.

The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory for Fairfax County and surrounding areas. The advisory says people can expect west winds from 20-25 miles per hour with gusts up to 50 mph from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Forecasts say the temperature will be around the low 40s today — which could feel more like the 20s with wind.

More from NWS:

* WHERE…Portions of The District of Columbia, central, north central and northern Maryland and northern and northwest Virginia.

* WHEN…From 11 AM this morning to 5 PM EST this afternoon.

* IMPACTS…Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

People are advised to be cautious while driving and to secure outdoor objects.

A Wind Advisory has been issued for areas along and west of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the DC metro areas and northward until 5 pm today. Check our website: https://t.co/CJFhYzBvKR for more information. pic.twitter.com/AkvYuLs22Y

— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) January 8, 2020

The City of Falls Church is pitching in to help Creative Cauldron launch its “Bold New Voices Musical Theater Festival” later this year.

The festival is set to run from April 27-May 6. “The goal of the festival is aimed at supporting musical theater works by women and women-identifying writers and composers,” according to the website.

Creative Cauldron received $2,500 in city funding with a $2,500 match from the Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) for the festival, along with $13,437 in city funding for an operational grant, according to a press release from the city.

Creative Cauldron was one of six local groups that received grants for arts-related activities and support.

“The Falls Church City Council recently approved a recommendation from the Arts and Humanities Grant committee to allocate $45,000 in funding for arts and cultural grants for fiscal year 2019-2020,” the press release said. “An additional $4,500 was funded through a grant from the [VCA].”

Of the 12 total grants, five are operational ones, while seven are for projects, including:

Recipients include Creative Cauldron, Falls Church Arts, The Little City CATCH Foundation, Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, Washington Sinfonietta, and Welcoming Falls Church. Details on their projects and operational needs are listed below:

• Falls Church Arts: $2,016 in city funds with a $500 VCA match to improve event capacity outside the studio
• Falls Church Arts: $2,000 in city funds with a $1,500 VCA match to support increased capacity for studio classes
• The Little City CATCH Foundation: $4,784 in city funds for Watch Night
• Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation: $5,000 in city funds for promoting the 2019 Tinner Hill Blues Festival
• Washington Sinfonietta: $416 in city funds to support a free holiday concert at the Falls Church Episcopal Church
• Welcoming Falls Church: $2,284 in city funds for the Welcoming Week initiative about the contemporary immigrant experience

Currently, Creative Cauldron has a call for submissions through Friday (Jan. 10) for the festival and plans to select three to five new works, along with several finalists.

“One final musical will be chosen by our resident artistic team at the end of the festival to have a fully funded production staged as part of Creative Cauldron’s 2020-2021 season,” according to Creative Cauldron.

Image via Creative Cauldron/Facebook

It’s a snow day for students in Fairfax County Public Schools.

FCPS tweeted this morning that schools will be closed today instead of opening late.

School offices and central offices will be open by 11 a.m., according to the tweet.

Icy roads from yesterday’s snow prompted the closure this morning, FCPS tweeted.

The change in FCPS’ operating status for today is due to the hazardous travel conditions that remain in various parts of the county at this hour, especially on secondary roads.

— Fairfax Schools 🌟 (@fcpsnews) January 8, 2020

Today’s snow has prompted the cancellation of events around the Tysons area this evening.

In Falls Church and the Town of Vienna, the recreation and parks departments canceled activities after 4 p.m., according to press releases from the city.

The Falls Church City Hall is set to close at 5 p.m., while the community center will close at 10 p.m. and the library will close at 9 p.m. — their regular hours. In Vienna, the community center and town hall are also expected to remain open.

Residents in the Little City can expect their trash, recycling and compost collection to occur on Wednesday.

In Vienna, the Windover Heights Board of Review meeting set for tonight has been canceled.

The public hearing on the newly proposed Capital Improvement Program set for tonight at Jackson Middle School (3020 Gallows Road) has been rescheduled to Monday, Jan. 27, at 5:30 p.m., according to a tweet from Fairfax County Public Schools.

Parks and rec programs and classes beginning at 4 pm or later today have been canceled. Community center and Town Hall will remain open until normal closing times. This evening's Windover Heights Board of Review meeting has been canceled. Info: https://t.co/cNIqI0dObA. pic.twitter.com/YrUyd34BXx

— Town of Vienna, VA (@TownofViennaVA) January 7, 2020

SNOW UPDATES AT 4:30 PM ON 1/7 :: all previously scheduled Rec & Parks activities after 4PM are cancelled due to weather. City Govt. facilities open tonight with normal hours (@mrsplfc closing at 9PM & Community Center closing at 10PM). pic.twitter.com/2JxhfhTh9A

— City of Falls Church (@FallsChurchGov) January 7, 2020

Traffic is already starting to back up as commuters head home early to avoid slick roads from today’s snow.

Traffic is heavy on the Beltway and along I-66 in the Tysons area as of 3:30 p.m., according to Google Maps. Leesburg Pike (Route 7) west of Tysons and the Dulles Access Road (Route 267) west of I-495 appear less congested.

A Winter Weather Advisory is currently in effect. Forecasters are warning commuters to be aware of slick areas on the roads and to allow extra time getting back in the evening.

On social media, people are sharing photos of the first snow of 2020:

Big flakes in Tysons, VA @TenaciousTopper @capitalweather #snow #tysons Video courtesy of @arjunebug21 pic.twitter.com/d80qJwfHrC

— Alexa W (@weatherwaub) January 7, 2020

https://twitter.com/JVNoyes/status/1214630124416577547?s=20

I just got off the Beltway at Route 7 in the Tysons Corner area where wet snow is coming down at a pretty good clip, but there’s little accumulation. THis is WB Leesburg Pike @WTOP @WTOPtraffic #snowpatrol pic.twitter.com/rHB63MAqHQ

— Michelle Basch (@mbaschWTOP) January 7, 2020

Image via Virginia 511, map via Google Maps

New work and plans are underway at the Scotts Run development near the McLean Metro station.

Development company Skanksa announced today that it will invest $221 million in a new 28-story apartment building in the Scotts Run development.

Named “The Heming,” the luxury apartment building will have 410 units, the company’s press release said.

Construction is set to start this month and be completed in late 2022, according to Skanksa.

In 2018, Cityline Partners sold a portion of the development to Skanska. Now, Cityline is set to sell another part of the development.

Bisnow reported yesterday that the Lennar Multifamily Communities is under contract to buy part of the development from CityLine.

Plans have been filed for a 26-story, 447-unit apartment building with 18,000 square feet of retail at the intersection of South Dartford Drive and Chain Bridge Road, according to Bisnow.

“Cityline Partners Managing Director Donna Shafer tells Bisnow that Lennar approached Cityline unsolicited to propose the deal, and that she thought its proposed project would complement the other buildings that have moved forward on the site,” according to Bisnow.

Last year, ground broke in October on the Archer Hotel , which is tentatively set to open in 2021 with a fitness studio and a bar and restaurant operated by chef Charlie Palmer.

The 425-unit apartment complex called The Haden and the 14-story office building Mitre 4 have already been completed in the mixed-use development.

Image via Cityline Partners

Schools and federal offices are closing early today ahead of the first snow of 2020.

Fairfax County and surrounding areas are under a Winter Weather Advisory today (Tuesday) for 1-3 inches of snow. The advisory is set to last until 7 p.m.

More from NWS:

* WHEN…From noon to 7 PM EST Tuesday. The heaviest snow is expected between 2 PM and 6 PM.

* IMPACTS…Snow covered and slippery roads are expected. This will impact the evening commute.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Snow rates could exceed one inch per hour with visibility around one-quarter mile at times.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Slow down and use caution while traveling. When venturing outside, watch your first few steps taken on steps, sidewalks, and driveways, which could be icy and slippery, increasing your risk of a fall and injury.

With snow moving into the area now, here are the amounts you can expect (first image), and the high end amount (second image). Generally expecting 1"-3", with 3"-5" across the higher elevations. High end amounts could add an extra inch or 2 to these totals. pic.twitter.com/YrxWOPNxXA

— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) January 7, 2020

Due to the expected snow, Fairfax County Public Schools will close two hours early today.

Federal offices will have early dismissal today.

For commuters, the Virginia Department of Transportation wants people to monitor weather conditions and beware of slick spots on roads.

“Crews have pre-treated trouble spots in higher elevations,” VDOT said in an email earlier today. “Drivers will begin to see trucks staging throughout the region this morning to prepare to plow and treat roads as needed.”

To accommodate more commuters leaving work early today, Metro tweeted plans to “ramp up service on bus and rail.”

Today's driving homework:
✔️Slow down and be patient
✔️Be on the lookout for school buses earlier than usual
✔️Watch for pedestrians
✔️Slow down and be patient pic.twitter.com/v4qIDfJsoU

— Fairfax County Government 🇺🇸 (@fairfaxcounty) January 7, 2020

We're currently working to ramp up service on bus and rail to support early dismissal of Federal workers throughout the DC area. Some bus routes that only run during rush hour will start early today. Follow @metrobusinfo and @metrorailinfo for additional info. #wmata

— Metro Forward (@wmata) January 7, 2020

Photo by Jessica Fadel on Unsplash

The Falls Church City Council re-elected Mayor David Tarter and Vice Mayor Marybeth Connelly.

Both were re-elected unanimously at last night’s meeting.

“Falls Church is a great community that we all love but our city is not standing still,” Tarter said, adding that the new high school and infrastructure changes will improve the city. “I am optimistic for the future.”

Tarter was first elected to the Falls Church City Council in July 2012 and has been been the city’s mayor since 2014, according to his city bio.

Connelly was first elected to the council in 2014 and has been the vice mayor since 2016, according to her city bio.

Tarter said that Connelly’s “collaborative approach to solving problems brings out the best in everyone.”

Images via City of Falls Church

Two Vienna Town councilmembers plan to run for the mayor’s seat in the spring election.

Councilmembers Linda Colbert and Howard Springsteen announced their campaigns at the council meeting last night.

Colbert has been on the council since 2014 and has previously served on the Transportation Safety Commission and Hunter Mill Transportation Advisory Council, according to her town bio.

“I care about the future of Vienna, and I am going to run for mayor,” Colbert said. “I am looking forward to meeting and listening to as many residents as possible.”

Springsteen was first elected to the Town Council in 2009 and has served on the Transportation Safety Commission for eight years, according to his town bio. He currently works for Fairfax County.

Springsteen said last night that he is running to maintain the “small town feel” of Vienna.

“I have a reputation for getting things done and focusing on residents’ concerns and issues,” he said. “I think Vienna should be determined by tax paying residents and not non-tax paying developers.”

Colbert’s term expires in June this year, while Springsteen’s expires in June 2021.

Current Mayor Laurie DiRocco announced in December that she will not seek re-election. She was first elected to the Town Council in 2009 and has been the mayor since 2014.

The Vienna election is May 5. Voters will elect three councilmembers and the mayor this year.

Images via Town of Vienna