The transition from snow to sleet began earlier than expected in D.C., but the area still saw significant snow accumulation, ranging from 4.5 to 8.5 inches.
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How snow and sleet are measured during snowstorms
The transition from snow to sleet began earlier than expected Sunday in D.C., but the entire area still saw significant snow accumulation, ranging from 4.5 inches to nearly 9 inches.
While the snowfall is pretty much over, sleet continues to accumulate Sunday afternoon on top of the snow that’s already on the ground.
So was your neighborhood in a hot spot? Here are the latest snow total measurements taken by National Weather Service employees:
Virginia
- Reagan National Airport, 5.3 inches as of 1 p.m.
- Fairfax, 5.4 inches as of 1 p.m.
- Herndon, 7.6 inches as of 2 p.m.
- Ashburn, 7.8 inches as of 1 p.m.
- Leesburg, 7.1 inches as of 1:30 p.m.
- Dulles International Airport, 6.2 inches as of 1 p.m.
Maryland
- BWI Marshall Airport, 7.6 inches as of 3:16 p.m.
- Birdsville, 6.4 inches as of 2:15 p.m.
- Bloomfield, 9 inches as of 2 p.m.
- Adamstown, 7 inches as of 1 p.m.
- Columbia, 8.1 inches as of noon
- Ellicott City, 7.3 inches as of noon
- Germantown, 7.2 inches as of 1:30 p.m.
WTOP’s Dave Dildine explained how the weather service measures snowfall totals.
“Official NWS snowfall measurements are taken every six hours at certified observation sites. The snow totals for any day or storm are the sums of those frequent observations. In this way, snow totals differ from snow depth,” Dildine said.
WTOP’s Dave Dildine measured nearly 5 inches of snow in Chevy Chase just before 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)
The weather service also shares totals from trained spotters, who measured 7 inches in D.C.’s Anacostia neighborhood at around 12:50 p.m.
Trained spotters measured the most snow in Elkridge in Howard County, Maryland, reporting 9 inches there at around 3 p.m. In Vienna, Virginia, 8 inches of accumulation was reported. A trained spotter also measured 7.3 inches in Dumfries, Virginia at around 2:21 p.m.
The afternoon brought to D.C. the rare instance of prolonged sleet. Up to three inches of accumulating sleet was possible in spots, but the heavy ice pellets can compact the snow already on the ground, making accumulation look less impressive, WTOP Meteorologist Matt Ritter said.
Dildine added that while sleet is fairly common, extended periods of it are rare. The most noteworthy sleet storm for the D.C. area, Dildine said, happened Valentine’s Day in 2007. By nightfall, between 2 and 4 inches of sleet had accumulated across parts of the region.
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