File:Mid-Atlantic Snow Band (MODIS 2022-01-06).jpg

English: After an unseasonably warm weekend in the eastern United States, a “Nor’easter” dumped a blanket of wet, heavy snow across the Mid-Atlantic region.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image of the snow band on January 4, 2022. Parts of southern Virginia and southern Maryland saw some of the highest accumulations, with more than 14 inches (36 centimeters) falling in Spotsylvania and Stafford counties in Virginia and Calvert County in Maryland.

The storm began as rain overnight then turned to heavy, wet snow by the morning commute. Snow continued falling through most of the day on January 3, lying atop a layer of freezing slush and ice. The weight of the dense snow caused trees to snap across the heaviest-hit areas, leaving more than 400,000 without power.

In Virginia, at least 100 motorists were stranded overnight after accidents on Interstate 95 shut the highway down along a roughly 50-mile-long stretch between exit 104 near Ruther Glen and exit 152 close to Dumfries. The initial accident, which occurred before noon on January 3, involved six big rigs near mile marker 136. Near 5:00 p.m. on January 4, Virginia authorities reported that no one remained in vehicles on the closed portion of the interstate. The road was reopened several hours later.

As motorists, pets, and children sat in their vehicles for as long as 24 hours, a bread company, traveling from Baltimore, Maryland, opened the door to its delivery truck and handed out bread to the stranded motorists. Another person handed out water.

Typically, when forecasters call for snow and freezing conditions, highway workers move quickly to pre-treat the roadways to keep ice from causing hazardous conditions. The heavy rain preceding this snowfall diluted the pavement pre-treatment, allowing icy build-up along many roadways. As of the morning of January 5, thousands of power outages continue in Maryland and Virginia while crews work to clear downed trees and repair damage.