This story was updated Saturday, Jan. 24, with up-to-date snow and ice predictions for major bases based on National Weather Service forecasts.
Garrison leadership at Fort Bragg, North Carolina announced on Friday that it would reducing personnel down to only mission essential staff this weekend, as a massive winter storm bears down on the East Coast. It’s the latest move by a military base as snow begins to blanket several states and many military installations. Over the past few days, teams at bases around the Midwest and East Coast have taken precautionary steps, from pausing exercises to getting emergency teams ready.
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.
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
As of 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, the National Weather Service expects the region around Fort Bragg to receive minimal snow but between 0.2 and 0.54 inches of hazardous ice.
On Friday afternoon the base’s leadership said that it would essentially be closed through Monday, with only weather and mission essential personnel being asked to report to duty.
“The safety of our Soldiers, civilians and family members is paramount, especially since so many commute to the installation from outside Fayetteville and Cumberland County,” said Fort Bragg Garrison Commander Col. Chad Mixon said in a statement on the closure. “We to keep as many people off the icy roads as possible while maintaining readiness to meet our mission to be able to deploy troops anywhere in the world with no notice. That means focusing our efforts on keeping airfields operational, clearing off main roads, and our capability to respond to emergency situations that may arise on the installation.”
Base leadership said that many services on Fort Bragg would be halted or curtailed at least through Monday.
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
As of 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, the National Weather Service expects the region around Fort Campbell to receive at least 6 inches and as much as 8 inches of snow in the storm.
Base officials announced Thursday 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 involved.
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
As of 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, the National Weather Service expects the region around Fort Leonard Wood to receive between 6 and 13 inches of snow.
Fort Leonard Wood is under a winter weather warning that predicts between 6 and 13 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 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, the National Weather Service expects the Washington D.C. region, including the Pentagon, Andrews Air Force Base, and several other military installations, to receive at least 8 inches of snow, with the possibility of as much as 18 inches.
Joint Task Force-DC, the command overseeing more than 2,000 National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C., said on Friday that the National Guard had not been activated to support snowstorm response operations.
Fort Drum, New York
As of 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, the National Weather Service expects the region around Fort Drum to receive as much as 12 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!”
Major installations unlikely to see major effects
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina, where more than 7,000 Marine Corps recruits are training, is expecting rain but not measurable snow or ice.
Farther up the coast, the National Weather Service expects the region around Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point to receive little to no snow or ice accumulation.
Both Naval Station Norfolk and Langley Air Force Base are expecting heavy rains this weekend, but limited snow, around 1-2 inches.
