Mother Nature provided an unexpected four-day vacation for Loudoun County students after dumping about seven inches of snow in the area.
Thursday’s snowstorm resulted in 3.2 inches of ground cover and Monday's storm left 4.1 inches at Dulles Washington International Airport. The last storm broke the record of 2.9 inches, set Feb. 28, 1980, according to the National Weather Service.
Yanilka Cespedes, 8, of Sterling, said she and her brother Luis, 15, had built snowmen in the back yard. "I like it because it's fun not to have a lot of homework," she said. "We can just play in the snow."
Sam Onyeador, 9, of Sterling, said Tuesday that he did not mind missing school at all. "I've been just chillin' at home, watching TV," he said. "I've been throwing snowballs and hanging out."
It was a different story, however, for Danielle Crosby, 15, of Sterling. "I don't really like the snow. It's too cold," she said.
She said she would rather be back at Park View High School. "I need to keep my grades up," she said. "All my books are at school."
STUDENTS DID NOT have to worry about making up the days later in the school year. Wayde Byard, spokesman for Loudoun County Public Schools, said the school district’s calendar provides more time than is required in each school day and three additional days beyond the state requirement of 180 days. “We would have to go 18 days before we would have to make it up. Then there is the possibility we wouldn’t have to, because of a state waiver,” he said.
School was canceled Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday.
Monday’s storm triggered about 50 accidents. Kraig Troxell, Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said most of them were fender benders. “Nothing serious,” he said.
Meteorologist Brian Guyer of the Baltimore Washington Forecast Office in Sterling, said his office had forecast six to 10 inches for Monday’s storm, but lowered the prediction to three to six inches late Sunday night. Monday’s total accumulations were 5.2 inches in Ashburn, 5 inches in Middleburg, 4.5 inches in Leesburg, 4.1 inches in Sterling and 3.4 inches in Round Hill.
The total number of inches of snow at Dulles so far this year has been 16.1 inches, 1.3 inches below normal, he said. Rain or snow showers are in the forecast for this weekend.
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesman Tara Hamilton said Dulles flights to and from the northeast were canceled Monday. Dulles Washington International Airport flights were running on time, but airports in Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York and Boston had to shut down, she said. “They were all related to the storm going up the coast.”
Le-Ha Anderson, a spokeswoman for Dominion Virginia Power, said neither storm caused outages. Mary Maguire, spokeswoman for Loudoun Fire & Rescue, said there were no major fires.