VIDEO: Freezing rain in central Virginia
1:30 p.m.
Sleet has turned to rain in Richmond, but the frozen precipitation should continue well into tonight for areas to the north and west, the National Weather Service said
Areas from Charlottesville to Northern Virginia could get 2 to 5 inches of snow tonight, the Weather Service said.
All of central Virginia should be getting rain by tomorrow morning.
Noon
Virginia State Police Sgt. Tom Cunningham says that troopers in the Richmond region responded to 90 accidents, including 10 with injuries, between 7:50 a.m. and 11 a.m., "and it's safe to say the vast majority were attributable to the weather."
Cunningham said the busiest period was from 9 to 10 a.m., when troopers worked 40 accidents.
11:25 a.m.
Richmond work crews are standing by with road salt and sand in case falling temperatures cause icing on city bridges tonight, Public Works Director Dexter White said today.
White said crews have been monitoring road conditions since last night and treating pavement when necessary. Richmond employs about 70 people for winter road maintenance and has about 800 tons of sand and gravel at three locations around the city.
The city reported no major problems with icing today, but that could change tonight, White said. "There could be some freezing on the bridges."
10:30 a.m.
The Hanover County Sheriff's Office this morning says it has responded to dozens of road wrecks, most of them because of icy conditions. The sheriff's office is urging people to stay off the roads, and if they must travel, to use caution, especially on bridges.
Earlier at this hour traffic was backed up for about three miles on northbound Interstate 95 north of Ashland.
9:15 a.m.
Hanover County reports wrecks in both directions on Interstate 95, as well as a crash on Interstate 295. Conditions also are treacherous on secondary roads, with six wrecks reported by shortly before 9 a.m.
In the city, public works crews already have started treating bridges and roads to prevent icing, and Richmond officials plan to discuss further precautions at a news conference later this morning.
8:41 a.m.
Virginia State Police reported 14 crashes in the region since shortly before 8 a.m., including at least five on Interstate 64 in Louisa and Goochland counties. Three of the crashs involved injuries, but no further details were immediately available.
Most of the crashes occurred on interstate highways. Investigations are preliminary, but state police said the weather appears to be the likely cause.
By 8:30 a.m., Interstates 95 and 64 in Richmond were still merely wet, but a few miles north, an icy glaze could be detected on and around I-95 in Hanover County. The same was true of I-64 in Goochland County, west of Henrico.
Shortly after the precipitation started falling in Richmond, police said there was a four-vehicle wreck at 8:20 a.m. on the southbound Powhite Parkway at the north end of the bridge crossing the James River. No injuries were reported.
The weather service has issued a winter weather advisory calling for a 100 percent chance of a mixture of snow and sleet, then changing to all rain before noon as temperatures rise.
The weather service says snow and sleet accumulations will total less than an inch before the changeover to rain but could produce slick driving conditions during the morning commute. Drivers are urged to use caution.
The advisory covers Richmond, Colonial Heights and Farmville as well as the counties of Amelia, Chesterfield, Henrico and Prince Edward.
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