ALEXANDRIA, Va. — After a summertime move down the hill in the West End, I’m here with my first measurement from the new digs. In the front yard, I measured over 4 inches. On the other hand, the backyard was slushy and unmeasurable.

This afternoon, I made it out to the foot of the Blue Ridge in Loudoun County to buy and cut down a Christmas tree. The roads were fine, traffic moved well. It was as uneventful a snow storm as I can recall.