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Virginia braces for snow
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
RICHMOND (AP) — Virginia’s largest electric utility mobilized crews to the Interstate 81 corridor Tuesday ahead of a March storm that threatened to deliver a foot or more of wet, heavy snow and Gov. Bob McDonnell advised state agencies to be flexible with workers who live in areas likely to be hit the hardest.
Dominion Virginia Power had also alerted out-of-state utilities it might require assistance if the storm lived up to its billing.
“We expect it’s going to have a pretty profound impact on the western and northwestern part of the state, so we’ve already begun sending crews from areas least likely to be affected so that they can be in position before the storm arrives,” Dominion spokesman Karl Neddenien said. “We’re going to do what it takes to get ready for the storm to keep the lights on and, when outages occur, to get them on as quick as we can.”
The National Weather Service said rain followed by snow was expected to begin Tuesday night and continue into Wednesday. The storm was expected to dip along the coast and dump moisture-laden snow inland totaling a foot in the Blue Ridge Mountains and up to 21 inches in higher elevations.
Ten to 14 inches of snow could fall in Staunton, Waynesboro, Harrisonburg, Winchester, Front Royal and the counties of Augusta, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Frederick, Page, Warren and Clarke.
Six to 10 inches of snow is expected in Nelson, Albemarle, Greene, Madison, Rappahannock, Loudoun, Orange, Culpeper and Fauquier counties, and the cities of Frederick, Charlottesville, and Leesburg.
East of the Blue Ridge to Interstate 95, snowfall totaling 5 inches to up to a foot or more was expected, said meteorological technician Calvin Meadows. Rainfall along the coast could total 1 to 2 inches and winds gusting from 34-40 mph were also forecast.
Winter storm warnings are in effect for these areas from Tuesday night to early Wednesday morning.
Rain will mix with snow today in Martinsville and Henry County, with little or no accumulation expected.
McDonnell directed executive branch agencies to allow eligible nonessential employees who work remotely or “be generous” in approving leave requests for workers who live in regions under a storm watch or warning.
While forecasts vary on the path and impact of the storm, McDonnell said heavy snow and high winds are on the way.
The state’s emergency operations center will open this morning to coordinate the state’s response, he said.
The Virginia Department of Transportation said it has spent approximately $96.5 million of its snow-removal budget, leaving about one-third left to battle the forecast storm and the rest of the fiscal year. VDOT said its crews across the state will be working in 12-hour shifts to clear roads. In northern Virginia, more than 4,000 salt trucks and plows are ready to be deployed.
Motorists were advised to check road conditions and traffic at its website: www.511Virginia.org
The VDOT district office in Staunton, the likely epicenter of the heaviest snowfall, advised motorists to avoid travel at the height of the storm.
“The plow drivers really need to the roads to be clear,” spokesman Sandy Myers said. “The snow is going to come down at a very fast rate. We just need folks to stay off the roads so the plow drivers can hopefully keep up with the storm.”
The Staunton district ranges from Winchester south to Lexington and includes 150 miles of I-81.
The forecast was already causing a run at supermarkets. At the Food Lion in Staunton, shelves that were stocked ahead of the storm were being cleared by customers.
“Bread, milk, eggs and beer, all the necessities,” manager Everett Castle said.
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