As you may have heard, the DC area will be hit with a snowstorm starting Saturday. While it’s still unclear whether this will be another “snowpocalypse” or “snowmageddon,” shoppers across the region are already reporting bare grocery-store shelves. The Wegmans at DC’s City Ridge was almost entirely out of toilet paper (echoing pandemic vibes all over again), the Cathedral Park Giant was out of eggs as of 9 PM last night, and nearly every Trader Joe’s has a line down the block. Here’s a glimpse at what people are seeing as we await the storm:
@katie.fielding so glad to see everyone stocked up on onions and eggs before the snowstorm!! #snowstorm #traderjoes #washingtondc #groceryshopping #fyp
Washington DC is going to be EATING this weekend.
14th street Trader Joe’s pic.twitter.com/J0wRt6aEIb
— Gary Grumbach (@GaryGrumbach) January 23, 2026
Line at Trader Joe’s in Clarendon TWENTY MINUTES after it opened. #snow @capitalweather pic.twitter.com/M1aQzkvhxc
— John Liang (@juanjohnjedi) January 23, 2026
Hope no one needs chicken. Spotted at Wegmans on Wisconsin ave pic.twitter.com/C9pJMUwNje
— Ryan McCann (@WRyanMcCann) January 23, 2026
A reader sends this photo, saying “Line to enter Barracks Row TJs 9:41am”
Yikes? 😬 pic.twitter.com/fuWa5mL9GP
— The Hill is Home (@theHillisHome) January 23, 2026
Capitol Hill Trader Joe’s utterly cleaned out #snowmageddon @capitalweather pic.twitter.com/QRJfw5X9bb
— Natalie Fertig (@natsfert) January 22, 2026
Panic buying at a local @AldiUSA grocery store before an epic snowstorm is about to slam the DC/MD/VA area.
All the stores around here are like this. Produce, meat, and bread all gone.
Reminds me of the good old COVID days. pic.twitter.com/y3xpprOAMP
— Michael Fitzpatrick (@ItIsMikeFitz) January 23, 2026
Stopped at my Giant to get some distilled water (they had it!), and was going to grab some meat for chili – I left with the water and a case of beer. People in the DMV are wild, like we can’t survive a day in our house?!? A day that is 2 days from now #dc #Snow #wtf pic.twitter.com/qMHHtI1HzF
— lweissen (@lweissen) January 23, 2026
as a native of the snowy Midwest, I'm always a bit amused by DC area people when a few inches of snow are in the forecast. Absolute anarchy prevails at grocery stores. No milk, no chicken, no pasta, and supplies already running short of much more. Grown women are fighting over… pic.twitter.com/1ZDzu8mSzY
— Adam Thierer (@AdamThierer) January 23, 2026
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DT05n7-CMNF/?igsh=bGdxd3hwbTZvaGc2
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DT0NUNxCF-c/?igsh=NGxyeDk0YmJmNGE2
@plussizeandbossy the shelves are damn near empty!!! 😱#snowstorm2026 #dmvtiktok #storeshelves #groceryshopping #blizzard
We reached out to area supermarkets to ask if they’d be restocking. A representative for Trader Joe’s told us that locations will be receiving daily deliveries. Jonathan Arons, external communications and community relations manager for Giant Food, also confirmed that stores will receive “consistent” deliveries throughout the weekend, around the clock. Danna Robinson, director of corporate affairs and customer relations for Harris Teeter, added that stores are mobilizing resources and will update their website with any modified store hours or weather-related closures.
Tristan Espinoza joined Washingtonian as an Editorial Fellow in 2026. A proud Osage Native from Dallas, Texas, he is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Nonfiction) at American University. He is a graduate of Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He lives in Mount Pleasant.
