Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
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City of Martinsville Public Works trucks plow Market Street on Friday morning. (Bulletin photo by Mike Wray) |
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Friday, February 5, 2010
Winter weather returned today, covering the roads with a fresh mixture of snow, sleet and ice.
As of 10 a.m. snow was falling at a rate of about one-half to one inch per hour and was making it difficult for city Public Works crews to keep roads clear throughout the city, according to a city release.
Sleet was mixed with snow by late morning.
City crews were working to keep the main roads open this morning. Roads being plowed included Memorial Boulevard, Commonwealth Boulevard, Church Street and others, according to the city release.
Streets were slick and two-wheel-drive vehicles or those with no chains were likely to get stuck, the release stated.
There were no streets closed as of mid-morning, but there were numerous problem spots throughout the city, including Northside Drive, Liberty Street, Rives Road and many others.
Conditions are treacherous throughout the city, the release said. There are numerous secondary and residential roads that have not been plowed as Public Works crews must focus on highways and main thoroughfares at least until the precipitation stops.
There have been several calls from the 911 Center and area police regarding stuck vehicles that are blocking the flow of traffic, the release states. There was also a tractor trailer jack-knifed on Memorial Boiulevard near the Dixie Pig restaurant at mid-morning.
Also, city garbage truck crews were attempting to make as many pickups as possible. However, there may be some streets which they cannot access until Monday, the release added.
The Henry County Administration Building closed for the day, Deputy County Administrator Tim Hall announced.
Martinsville School Superintendent Scott Kizner said that Feb. 15 now will be a makeup day in the city, and all professional development activities will be canceled for that day. At the Martinsville School Board meeting Monday, Kizner said he will discuss the priorities and options for future makeup days.
“Of course, future bad weather can still create calendar and schedule changes for the remainder of this year,” he said.
In Henry County, makeup days have been scheduled for March 5 and 8, according to Stowe. So far, county students have missed six days due to weather, DeWitt House, assistant superintendent for instruction, said during a school board meeting.
The National Weather service put Martinsville, Henry County and Patrick County under a winter storm warning Thursday. Between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. today, snow is expected to begin falling, meteorologist Anita Silverman said. My midday, the snow was expected to change to sleet, and up to 6 inches of snow and sleet could accumulate during the day, the service said Thursday.
In the early afternoon, the sleet might change to freezing rain, which could cause the most problems, said Blacksburg National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Hudgins.
Sleet accumulates much like snow does, but freezing rain will form a layer of ice, he said. The amount of ice that builds will depend on when the freezing rain begins, but between a tenth of an inch to a quarter of an inch is expected to accumulate over the snow.
“If there is a quarter inch of ice, the roads will become really slick and pack down the snow underneath, making it harder to remove,” he said.
The freezing rain should taper off tonight to freezing drizzle, and there should be a break in precipitation, Hudgins said.
But not for long.
Saturday morning snow will begin again, but accumulation will be light. Hudgins said only an inch or two will accumulate Saturday, and the snow will end by afternoon.
“Whatever ice we do get will be sticking around for a good while,” said Hudgins, because cold temperatures are forecast over the coming days.
There will be no precipitation Sunday, and temperatures should be in the mid 30s with lingering clouds, he said. Temperatures will remain in the 30s Monday and Tuesday.
Low temperatures and possible ice accumulations on trees mean residents should “definitely watch out for power outages,” he said.
Appalachian Power spokesman John Shepelwich agreed. He advised that if the power goes out, never touch downed wires. They should be considered dangerous and should be reported by phone or online as soon as possible.
Also, do not open freezer doors, Shepelwich said. Keeping refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible will help keep foods inside cooled or frozen longer.
Major heating and cooling equipment circuits should be disconnected, but keep one or two lights switched “on” so that you will know when the power is restored, he advised.
If temperatures dip below freezing and the power failure is projected to last overnight, consider moving in with friends and relatives who have electricity, he said. But if you do leave your house, protect water pipes from freezing by turning the water off at the main shutoff valve and opening faucets to drain the water.
If power does go out, AEP customers should call 1-800-956-4237 and speak to a Customer Solutions Center representative or leave a recorded message about the outage, he said.
Power failures also may be reported with a battery-powered laptop computer to www.AppalachianPower.com, where an online outage map will be updated regularly.
Henry County and Martinsville school officials have suggestions for activities that students can do at home to keep learning on snow days. For lists, visit www.henry.k12.va.us/index.cfm/go/news.details/ID/81 for Henry County or www.martinsville.k12.va.us/master.php?p=homeactivities for Martinsville. |
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