Get home before the weather starts: Snow is expected to start falling tonight around 8pm. By staying off roadways during snow, freezing rain or sleet, you'll be safer and give more room to snowplows clearing the streets.

Have supplies ready: Food and water are essentials, but also be aware of the possibility of power outages. Batteries and flashlights can come in handy.

School closings: check the latest emergency updates on the school's website.

Plowing Status: The Virginia Department of Transportation (not Fairfax County) is responsible for snow removal on most county roads. VDOT is aggressively pre-treating roads throughout Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Arlington counties in advance of tonight's heavy snow. You can visit www.vdotplows.org to see the status of plowing in your neighborhood as the storm unfolds.

#ffxstorm: If you're using Twitter, tell us what you see by using the hashtag #ffxstorm. This is a large storm affecting the northeast, so the more localized info the better! Follow us on Twitter at @fairfaxcounty.

Hypothermia: If you see someone unsheltered in this extreme cold weather, call 703-691-2131, TTY 711.

Check-in on neighbors: Residents who know individuals needing special attention are encouraged to take a few minutes to check in on them to ensure their well-being. If residents need immediate, life-saving help, call 9-1-1. For other safety help, call the public safety non-emergency phone number at 703-691-2131.

Utility bills: Residents who need immediate help with utility bills or other urgent human services assistance can call the county's Coordinated Services Planning staff at 703-222-0880.

Important Contact Information

*Again, my office will be corresponding with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and utility companies throughout the day tomorrow. If you need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office by calling 703.324.2321 or emailing [email protected].

To stay up to date on the latest weather reports and information, visit the County's information blog: http://fairfaxcountyemergency.wordpress.com/

For snow removal information: www.virginiadot.org/travel/snow.asp.

To see the status of plowing in your neighborhood: www.vdotplows.org.

For real-time traffic updates and road conditions: Visit www.511virginia.org, download the 511smartphone app, or follow @511northernva on Twitter.

To report unplowed or hazardous conditions: Email [email protected] or call 1-800-FOR-ROAD (1-800-367-7623).

For general VDOT info: Follow VDOT at www.facebook.com/VirginiaDOT, on Twitter @VDOT, or visit www.VirginiaDOT.org.

Utility Company Information

Dominion: Report outages at 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357).

NOVEC (Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative): 1-888-335-0500 or 703-335-0500. 

Verizon: To report an outage call 1-800-837-4966.

Cox: To report an outage call 703-378-8422.

Washington Gas: 703-750-1000.

*As always, in the event of an emergency dial 9-1-1.