Snowstorm January 2026

Published on January 22, 2026

Update: January 28, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.

Effective at noon on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, the City Manager has removed the snow emergency declaration for the City of Winchester.

🚗 Once the snow emergency declaration is lifted, cars must be removed from City parking garages within 12 hours. Cars remaining in City garages after midnight will be subject to normal parking fees.

Update: January 27, 2026, at 12:40 p.m.

🏫 City offices and Winchester Transit will open on schedule on Wednesday, January 28

🌳 The Park Rec Center will open at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday

🧒 The HIVE snowday program will open at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday

🚗 Free parking in City garages is still available

🚶‍➡️ Please remember to clear your sidewalks per City code

Update: January 26, 2026, at 1:10 p.m.

❄️ The City’s snow emergency is still in effect. Our crews are working around the clock to move snow and keep people safe on our sidewalks and roads. The weather over the next several days will prevent melting, so please stay patient, aware, and safe. 

🥶 We are expecting extremely low temperatures throughout the remainder of this week. Stay indoors as much as possible and avoid any exposed skin when outdoors.

🚗 When the snow emergency declaration is lifted, cars must be removed from City parking garages within 12 hours. We will update the City’s website and social media pages, and send email and text alerts when the declaration ends. Sign up for alerts at www.winchesterva.gov/subscribe 

♻️ Trash collection will begin on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Recycling is canceled for the week of January 26–30, 2026. This week, all pickups are one day later than usual.

• Trash collection for Ward 1 is Tuesday, January 27
• Ward 2 is Wednesday, January 28
• Ward 3 is Thursday, January 29
• Ward 4 is Friday, January 30

🏫 City offices and Parks and Recreation will open at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, with liberal leave in effect for employees.  

🚌 Winchester Transit (WinReady and the Loop Route) and the Joint Judicial Center will be closed on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. 

Emergency Snow Declaration

Based on the weather forecast for this weekend, the Interim City Manager has declared a snow emergency for the City of Winchester effective 8:00 a.m. on Friday, January 23. 

Please check back to this page often for schedule changes, closure announcements, and other important updates. 

Closures and Schedule Changes

Updated 1/23/26 at 2:00 p.m.

• Sunday, January 25, 2026
  • CLOSED - Parks and Rec Center at Jim Barnett Park 
• Monday, January 26, 2026
  • CANCELED - Trash collection is canceled,and collection for the remainder of next week will be determined on Monday afternoon. Please continue to check back for more information on collection schedules as the storm progresses.
  • CLOSED - City Offices, Park Rec Center at Jim Barnett Park, Winchester Transit
  • CANCELED - Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Meeting
  • RESCHEDULED - Boards and Commissions Meeting
• Monday - Friday, January 26-30 
  • CANCELED - Recycling Collection

Safety Tips and Reminders

• Have a question about snow removal, utilities, or other City services? Call our Snow Line (540) 773-1340 Sunday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• When you shovel your sidewalk, please be aware of fire hydrants and make sure they're clear of snow in case of an emergency.
• You may want to consider keeping a faucet running at a slow, steady drip to prevent pipes in your home from freezing.
• If you don't need to be on the roads, please stay home and allow our first responders and snow teams to focus on critical responses.
• Be aware that police response to minor property damage, crashes, non-injury collisions, and weather-related slide-offs may be delayed.
• Please check on your neighbors, especially elderly residents or those with medical needs during the storm.

Parking

Starting at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 24, all City-owned parking garages will be open for free parking to ensure that snow emergency routes are clear for plows. This will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the snow emergency is over, residents will be given 12 hours to remove their vehicles from the garage, or they will be charged a $30 lost ticket fee. The notice for the end of free parking will be shared via the City's website, social media, email, and text message alerts. Sign up for City updates at www.winchesterva.gov/subscribe.

Snow Emergency Routes

In October 2025, new snow emergency routes were adopted. Parking or abandoning a vehicle along a snow emergency route is prohibited. If a vehicle is parked, stalled, stuck, or abandoned on a snow emergency route, it may be towed, and the towing cost will be charged to the vehicle's owner. You can also be fined $50 for each offense.