Although previous weather forecasts predicted southeast Virginia, including Norfolk and Virginia Beach, to get the worst of the winter storm, more snow has accumulated on the Virginia Peninsula.
By noon Saturday, some areas of the Historic Triangle had seen up to a foot of snow, while Norfolk averaged six to seven inches and Virginia Beach saw five to six inches, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Alec Butner.
Butner said Williamsburg is “definitely one of the higher spots in the area of snowfall accumulation,” averaging eight to 12 inches across the city.
“The total snowfall average is around 11 inches, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see even higher amounts in some areas,” he said.
The Southside, however, is a little more complicated, he said, due to sleet and some rain mixed in close to the oceanfront.
Although the wintry mix transitioned to snow by late morning Saturday, Butner said the rain and sleet affected the total snowfall seen in Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
“Because of the sleet, they haven’t received as much accumulation as the Peninsula and Williamsburg,” he said.
Although some areas haven’t received as much snowfall as expected, Virginia State Police are still actively responding to incidents across the state. From midnight to noon Saturday, state police responded to 1,124 calls for service statewide, including 84 traffic crashes and 103 disabled vehicles in the Hampton Roads region, according to a state police news release. Four crashes in Hampton Roads resulted in injuries.
At 11:45 a.m., troopers were still working 72 open incidents across the state, the release said.
“While travel is highly discouraged, if you must travel, please slow down, buckle up, be alert for slick road conditions, and do not drive distracted,” a second VSP news release said. “Please be mindful of Troopers and VDOT workers on the roadway, slow down and move over.”
Looking ahead, both the Virginia Peninsula and the Southside could see an additional two to four inches fall before the storm clears, Butner said.
Around noon, the storm was starting to “taper down,” and eastern Virginia residents can expect the snow to clear out in the late afternoon and early evening, he said.
Saturday night clearing will bring sunny skies Sunday, although the temperature will not reach above freezing, Butner said.
“It will be chilly, so there won’t be too much melting,” Butner said. “It won’t get significantly above freezing until later this week.”
