Dozens of military bases brace for ‘Snowmageddon’ storm to hit this weekend

This story was updated Friday, Jan. 23, with up-to-date snow and ice predictions for major bases based on National Weather Service forecasts.

The 101st Airborne Division paused a major field exercise Wednesday night as military bases across the Midwest and on the Atlantic coast began bracing for a historic winter storm this weekend. Crews at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, began trimming trees on base in anticipation of ice storms, and bases from Missouri to South Carolina stood up various emergency teams with leaders of on-base emergency, medical, and utilities units.

Predictions around the weekend winter storm are for up to a foot or more of snow in Virginia and some parts of North Carolina, with heavy freezing rain and arctic cold in South Carolina and into the deep south. Bases in the Midwest could see 18 inches or more of snow with temperatures well below zero, making roads impassable with ice. Along with Fort Campbell, bases forecasted to see impacts include the Army’s Fort Bragg and the Marine Corps’ Camp LeJeune, both in North Carolina, and major Marine training bases in Virginia and South Carolina.

Two Black Hawks from Task Force Lift, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, are covered in snow after a winter storm blankets Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. Army photo by Maj. Mike Giaquinto.

Fort Campbell, Kentucky

As of 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, the National Weather Service expects the region around Fort Campbell to receive 6 inches of snow in the storm.

Base officials announced last night that the 101st Airborne Division will “pause” its largest annual training exercise, Operation Lethal Eagle, for the weekend. The base is expected to get heavy snow and ice both Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures in the teens until Tuesday.

“With the potential for upcoming inclement winter weather conditions during our Operation Lethal Eagle Training Exercise, we will pause training this weekend to bring Soldiers back safely into our garrison areas and reunite them with their Families until conditions are met to resume training,” the base announced on its Facebook page.

Lethal Eagle is the division’s annual large-scale combat exercise. The 21-day training event began this week with more than 7,000 Soldiers, 22 helicopters, and two Marine MV-22 Ospreys.

Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri; Scott Air Force Base, Illinois

As of 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, the National Weather Service expects the region around Whiteman and Scott to receive between 8 and 18 inches of snow.

The forecast for Scott is slightly heavier than at Whiteman, but both are nearly certain to receive a foot of snow by Monday.

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri

As of 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, the National Weather Service expects the region around Fort Leonard Wood to receive between 8 and 18 inches of snow.

Fort Leonard Wood is under a winter weather warning that predicts between 3 and 8 inches of snow over the weekend and temperatures as cold as minus-15 early next week. Officials have activated the base’s Destructive Weather Mitigation Operations program, but have not announced any major cancellations or changes in operations.

Washington, D.C.; the Pentagon; Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland

As of 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, the National Weather Service expects the Washington D.C. region, including the Pentagon, Andrews Air Force Base, and several other military installations, to receive between 4 and 18 inches of snow.

Forecasts for the capital region remain wide, with similar odds for snowfall as low as four inches and as high as 18 inches or more. But the entire region appears certain to see impacts.

Fort Drum, New York

As of 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, the National Weather Service expects the region around Fort Drum to receive between 6 and 18 inches of snow.

Soldiers at Fort Drum, home of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division, are well-trained in harsh winter conditions. They’ll need it early next week, with heavy snow from the storm and a week of single-digit temps to follow. Perhaps predictably, a post on the base’s Facebook from the Morale, Welfare and Recreation office encourages soldiers to not “let the snow go to waste—get out and explore the beautiful winter wonderland right in our backyard!”

Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina

As of 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, the National Weather Service expects the region around Parris Island to receive rain but no measurable snow or ice.

An official at Parris Island, where over 7,000 Marine recruits are in some stage of boot camp every day of the year, said that a graduation ceremony for a basic training class this Friday is expected to be over before the storm arrives.

“Right now we think the storm will not have an impact on graduation,” said Marine Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Yarbrough, a Parris Island spokesperson. “With families that travel in for graduation, we’ll be keeping an eye on Interstate-40 and other routes that are heavily traveled.”

Base leaders will meet later in the week as the storm’s forecast becomes clear, Yarbrough said. A primary concern will be the ability of civilian workers who staff the recruit training dining halls to reach the base over icy roads.

“We have about 7,000 recruits to feed,” he said.

However, he noted that, though snow is rare at the South Carolina base, the installation is well-prepared for disruptions because of the yearly threat from hurricanes and other summer storms.

When a surprise snowstorm closed the base to outside traffic for three days last year, he said, drill instructors adjusted their schedules to training events inside squad bays, from basic drill and marching to academic topics like Marine Corps history.

Recruits ate MREs while the chow halls were closed.

“We want to get the message out that recruits are under supervision here at all times for the worried moms and dads across America,” said Yarbrough.

Fort Bragg, North Carolina

As of 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, the National Weather Service expects the region around Fort Bragg to receive minimal snow but between 0.1 and 0.77 inches of hazardous ice.

The forecast for Fort Bragg has shifted in recent days from heavy snow to bands of icy rain. Base maintenance crews have begun treating base roads and trimming overgrown trees around base, a standard precaution when heavy ice is expected, said base spokesperson April Olsen. No major decisions on base operations have yet been made, but base leaders have begun daily meetings to prepare for the storm, Olsen said.

“No decisions have been made,” Olsen said. “Commanders will continue to monitor potential threats to the safety of community and make decisions on closure, or late work calls, or anything along those lines.”

Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia

As of 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, the National Weather Service expects the region around MCB Quantico to receive 10 inches of snow, with a high forecast of 12 inches.

A Quantico official said that no graduations for either Officer Candidate School or The Basic School were planned during the storm’s likely impact. Officials said they were “monitoring” the storm as it approached. The base’s Facebook page said that windchill cold is expected to reach minus-10 degrees.

Camp LeJeune and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina

As of 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, the National Weather Service expects the region around Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point to receive little to no snow or ice accumulation.

Naval Station Norfolk and Langley Air Force Base, Virginia

As of 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, the National Weather Service expects the region around Naval Station Norfolk, including Virginia Beach, to receive up to 4 inches of snow, but with the most likely build-up at less than an inch.

Predictions for Langley Air Force Base were about one inch above the predicted totals in Norfolk. The forecast for both bases calls for heavy rains Sunday night, but little or no ice build-up in above-freezeing temps.

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