WAKEFIELD — Another winter storm was impacting the Historic Triangle Monday, with the National Weather Service in Wakefield calling for 3-5 inches of snow from Farmville to Petersburg to Williamsburg.
As of Monday at 5 a.m. Winter Storm Warnings had been expanded for portions of south central and central Virginia, including Richmond, Williamsburg, Farmville, Emporia, and Petersburg. Winter Weather Advisories are in effect everywhere else, excluding the Maryland Eastern Shore, for 1-3 inches.
The National Weather Service said snow would start to move in from west to east in the morning hours, cautioning roads and surfaces will become slick, and to avoid travelling today if possible as both the morning and afternoon commutes will be impacted by continuing snow. By mid afternoon, NWS said rain had transitioned to snow across a good portion of the Hampton Roads.
The National Weather Service added low temperatures tonight and into Tuesday morning are going to be very cold — from the low to mid-teens inland to the 20s near the coast. With fresh snow on the ground, it may be even colder, especially in areas that get the higher snow totals, so residents should take precautions to keep themselves and pets warm. Snow will stick around into Tuesday thanks to the cold temperatures, making for a potentially slick commute again Tuesday morning.
NWS has extended the Winter Storm Warning for our area until midnight tonight.
All WJCC Schools and offices were closed Dec. 8 and will be closed, Tuesday, Dec. 9. Students will not engage in remote learning Tuesday.
All school and community events and activities on Tuesday, December 9, are cancelled. The scheduled School Board Work Session will be postponed to Tuesday, December 16.
Students will not engage in remote learning, and all school and community events and activities on Monday are cancelled.
All York County School Division schools and offices will also remain closed Tuesday, Dec. 9. There will be no remote learning for students and no remote work for staff.
William & Mary said it will close today, Monday, Dec. 8, at noon and reopen at noon on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
Virginia Peninsula Community College said it would operate under a normal schedule until 11 a.m., then shift operations to remote work and learning after 1 p.m. VPCC added it will operate remotely during regular business hours Tuesday. In-person classes and events that begin at or after 5 p.m. will take place.
Follow the WYDaily Facebook page for the latest closures.
Dominion Energy said Monday’s wet snow had caused nearly 8,500 outages in Hampton Roads and northeast North Carolina. The largest number of outages occurred on the Peninsula and in Virginia Beach, primarily due to wind, wind blowing loose objects into power lines and branches on power lines. As of 5 p.m., nearly 1,000 customers were without power in the region, and Dominion said outages could fluctuate through the evening.
Dominion said it would continue watching weather conditions and closely monitor the potential for ice, cautioning if wet snow freezes, then ice could build up on trees causing them to break and fall onto power lines.
Dominion said crews would continue working around the clock until all the lights are back on.
The Virginia Department of Transportation said motorists traveling into and around Hampton Roads should stay alert for potentially hazardous road conditions throughout the day Monday and into Tuesday due to forecasted snowfall and temperatures below freezing.
VDOT Hampton Roads District said personnel stand ready to respond with the necessary materials and equipment to address potential road impacts, and motorists should limit non-essential travel during the day and overnight Monday until conditions improve.
Crews began pretreating interstates, state-maintained county primary roads and some major secondary routes, including in the western portion of the region and Historic Triangle area on Sunday. On Monday morning, the district said it began 24-hour operations with VDOT crews working around the clock in 12-hour shifts, monitoring, treating, and moving snow off the interstate and state-maintained roadways as needed.
If travel is necessary, VDOT reminds drivers to avoid travel during and following the storm until conditions improve, for their safety and to allow crews to work effectively on the roadways. While traveling, motorists should exercise caution, reduce speed and provide extra following distance to ensure safety.
With temperatures not anticipated to rise above freezing until Tuesday, icy conditions, most notably on overpasses, bridges, and shaded areas prone to freezing first, may impact travel into the morning rush hour, VDOT said, adding it will continue to monitor road surfaces, and crews will treat and address the roads as necessary.
VDOT maintains all interstates, major state-maintained primary routes, and county roads in Hampton Roads. Individual municipalities maintain their own primary and secondary routes.
Get the latest traffic conditions before traveling by calling 511 or visiting 511.vdot.virginia.gov
