More Freezing Rain on the Way Tonight

The next round of freezing rain Tuesday night will not be as bad as it was Monday night, but motorists should still use extreme caution, Virginia Department of Transportation officials and National Weather Service representatives said.

“There will be another quick moving system overnight,” Greg Schoor, a NWS meteorologist, said. “There will be a winter mix but not as much as last night.”

Temperatures will hang around 32 degrees over the next two days, Schoor said.

Motorists driving in the north and southbound lanes of Interstate-495 in northern Virginia Tuesday morning inched along the road to keep from sliding on the slick roads.

Virginia Department of Transportation pre-treated areas of I-66, I-395, I-95 and I-495 that are prone to freezing on Monday night, agency spokeswoman Joan Morris said. She said work crews also pre-treated routes 1, 7, 28, 50 and 123 with salt brine.

“Motorists need to use extreme caution,” Morris said. “The biggest challenge is getting from your front door to your car. Walkways, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots have a thick coating of ice on them.”

Schoor said freezing rain is formed between 2,000 and 3,000 feet above the surface. As raindrops develop in the clouds and fall, he said they fall through the below freezing level causing freezing rain before it hits the ground.

About 1,700 VDOT trucks were busy overnight spreading magnesium chloride and salt brine on more than 500 miles of roads in northern Virginia. Still, Fairfax County Public Schools closed for the "ice day," and canceled all extracurricular activities. Schoor said freezing rain Monday night caused the slick roads Tuesday morning.

Aside from watching for icy spots on the road, motorists had to dodge large sheets of ice flying from the rooftops of cars and large trucks. Lucy Caldwell, a spokeswoman for Fairfax County police, said there were few accidents reported.

Readers took pictures of a crystalized Vienna earlier this morning, including Petra  Velderman Engle, who snapped some pictures of icicles and her husband Rick clearing his car.

Post your own photos in our gallery, or e-mail them to erica.hendry at patch.com