With winter not set to officially begin for another week, Richmond was bracing for a second round of snow this morning, and some schools were announcing closings before the first flake had fallen.
Schools in Richmond and the counties of Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, Goochland and Prince George announced Wednesday evening that they would not open today; several others in the area announced late starts, and highway crews last night began salting and sanding bridges and overpasses.
Snow moving in from the southwest was expected to last for up to four hours in central Virginia, according to the National Weather Service, and could be followed in the afternoon hours by a period of sleet and freezing rain. Temperatures were predicted to stay at or below freezing.
"We already have crews beginning 12-hour shifts and that will continue Thursday," said Taya Jarman, a spokeswoman the Virginia Department of Transportation. She said some 900 pieces of snow-fighting equipment were at the ready in an area stretching from Ashland to North Carolina and from Amelia to New Kent.
Shelters in the Richmond area said they expected heavier than normal traffic from homeless people and others numbed by more than a week of subfreezing temperatures.
"We're taking in up to 75 people a night, but there's room for more," said Travis Cunningham, who helps with sheltering people at Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church at 14 W. Duval St. on Church Hill.
Sixth Mount Zion serves as Richmond's Cold Weather Overflow Shelter, and the city announced yesterday that the shelter will remain open through Sunday from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. No food is served except for hot drinks; pets are not allowed.
The Freedom House Conrad Center also is open and will remain open to March 15 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The center at 1400 Oliver Hill Way serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The snow is expected to begin falling this morning and will continue into the early afternoon. The snow band will extend from Richmond south to the North Carolina border and southwest toward Bristol.
Police and city workers were dealing last night with their second period of sun-warmed runoff and then freezing moisture on streets and bridges. In at least three locations, broken water mains have created sheets of ice that hampered traffic flow and forced the temporary shutdown of some streets.
bmckelway@timesdispatch.com
(804) 649-6601
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement