March 2015 Trail Condition Reports

[gibby]

Rolled the ole dice and went for the MVT from 4MR to 14th ST BR around 830a and was pleasantly surprised (and upright) on 23 slicks that there were just a couple ice floes left that required walking. Bring on the next storm!

[PotomacCyclist]

@PotomacCyclist 109940 wrote:

Snow, sleet and ice in the forecast for today, between noon and 10 pm.

Looks like the weather won’t be too bad today. From the W. Post, at 11:10 am:

Radar shows any midday precipitation very widely scattered and light. The latest modeling shows any steadier precipitation may not arrive until about 3:30-5 p.m. and by then many areas may be rising near or above freezing. Moreover, the precipitation that comes in should be mostly light and short-lived, lasting only 2-3 hours at most (through around 7 p.m.).

At this point, we are pretty underwhelmed with today’s event and think many areas may just see some spotty sleet and then a little plain rain. The risk of iciness seems more confined to our far northern suburbs from Leesburg to Frederick to the west side of Baltimore, where sidewalks, side roads and driveways have a chance for a little iciness. But even there, this could turn into a non-event by and large.

If we were the National Weather Service, we might even drop the winter weather advisory for the immediate metro region for this event. If you have plans late this afternoon and evening, we encourage you to keep an eye on our forecast updates but expect most people should be able to get around without too many issues.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/03/03/d-c-area-forecast-wintry-mix-this-afternoon-then-a-mild-wet-wednesday-snow-risk-early-thursday/

But the possibility of snow on Thursday morning remains.

[jrenaut]

1) It is now raining in downtown DC. Some of the rain is ice. Some is not. It is not terribly pleasant, but also not currently dangerous for even narrow road slicks.

2) If we get rain all Wednesday that changes to snow overnight, that means that any pre-treating that happens will wash away before it can do any good. My prediction is that Thursday will be a complete and utter disaster.

[vvill]

@jrenaut 109981 wrote:

Thursday will be a complete and utter disaster.

I guess I’ve been spending too much time around these parts (and spectating Freezing Saddles)… but this made me smile.

[Phatboing]

@jrenaut 109981 wrote:

Thursday will be a complete and utter disaster.

Perfect for coffee club.

[jrenaut]

@vvill 109983 wrote:

I guess I’ve been spending too much time around these parts (and spectating Freezing Saddles)… but this made me smile.

I don’t have a bike that will handle the conditions we’ll probably have on Thursday. Hoping for a quick 2 mile CaBi ride in the afternoon.

[Mikey]

@jrenaut 109989 wrote:

I don’t have a bike that will handle the conditions we’ll probably have on Thursday. Hoping for a quick 2 mile CaBi ride in the afternoon.

Be careful a 2 mi CaBi ride on Thursday will probably run you up close to the 30 minute limit.

[BTC_DC]

Who knows how accurate the forecast will be for Thursday, but while it currently calls for snow starting around 1AM morning, temps do not drop below freezing until around 9AM for DC / southern neighborhoods. Road temps may be a bit higher still given the previous day.

So the problem may be more the afternoon than the morning.

And then, after that, another cold blast until mid-morning Saturday.

[Greenbelt]

Lotsa black ice on the trails this morning in Prince George’s and on the Met branch. Meltflows refroze overnight. Light rain this afternoon could

a.) melt the black ice flows,

or

b.) make the black ice flows impossible to see with ever-more-super-slippery sheen of water on top.

[delninno]

Thank you for the post.
I was afraid of ice and found very little on the MVt from 4MR to 14 st bridge.
I waited before getting on the bike this morning and enjoyed the ride.

@dbb 109926 wrote:

35mm studs – barely necessary this morning

Crystal City Connector had a couple of clear lines from the RR tunnel to the tunnel under the GWMP

The DCA North Bridge glacier has receded to the point that at least half the bridge was clear dry concrete

MVT was clear for virtually the entire width up to the 14th Street bridge areas. A few bumpy icy spots.

All in all, a fine day for cycling.

[Arlingtonrider]

About the latest forecasts for Weds night/Thursday – NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

[Boomer Cycles]

@hozn 109933 wrote:

Ha, that’s funny; I did exactly the same thing at the exact same place. That was terrifying.

I tripoded yesterday through that ice sheet @ Popular Heights tennis courts and almost slid into DKel who rode it through coming from the opposite direction.

[Boomer Cycles]

I almost bit it in front of that shelter yesterday in the sunny afternoon, on 700 x 25 treated tires, so I imagine that it’ll only get worse as temps hover at or below freezing.

[consularrider]

Just a shout out to Arlington County who cleared the Custis ice field from the 21st underpass to Sprout Run around 1 pm today. There was still ice in the three moguls by the Bridge to Nowhere, but the rest of the trail was in pretty good shape. There are a few ice spots as you continue west to Falls Church.

I also rode the CCT from Bethesda to Georgetown just after noon. There is a 20 foot ice patch just before you enter the Dalecarlia Tunnel from the north and the then there are several stretches of ice from the south end of the bridge at the Washington Aqueduct to the DC line.

[wheelswings]

I just rode the Custis again (3:30 pm Tuesday)…it’s in great shape…. the ice is just about gone. Thanks to whomever (Whomever ? :+) ) helped it melt.

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