A surprising storm dropped up to 2 inches of snow on the Richmond area Monday, and two more storms could be on the way.
"We're under fire," said David Tolleris, a commercial weather forecaster in Chester.
The Monday snow, which lasted from just before dawn to about midday, slickened roads, delayed some commutes and contributed to scores of traffic crashes in the region.
Brief sun and temperatures barely above freezing melted much of the snow. But overnight temperatures were forecast to be in the high teens, making for potentially hazardous driving this morning.
"Anything that is wet now, that will turn to ice," said Dawn Eischen, a Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman.
Motorists should leave early, drive slowly, and leave plenty of distance between their car and other vehicles, Eischen said.
Highway crews have been applying sand and salt to lessen the hazard.
More snow fell than expected because temperatures dropped a little lower and a little sooner than expected before dawn, said Dan Proch, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
"We expected (the snow), but it kind of switched from rain to snow a little earlier" than predicted, Proch said.
The snow was related to the weekend storm that blanketed the Midwest. It was Richmond's first measurable snow of the season. A trace fell Dec. 5.
Another storm could move in from the west on Thursday and bring rain or snow. It could drop 1 to 5 inches of snow on the Richmond area, Tolleris said.
Yet another storm could move up the East Coast on Sunday and Monday and drop several more inches, Tolleris said.
Proch said it's too early to estimate possible snowfalls for Thursday or early next week.
The storms are not terribly unusual, Tolleris said. "It's just an active December right now."
More cold weather is on the way, too. The high should not get above the mid-30s today, Wednesday or Thursday.
Monday's storm dropped 1 to 2 inches of snow on the Richmond area. Elsewhere, about 3 inches was reported in Amelia County and 2½ inches in Prince George County.
State police responded to more than 150 traffic crashes statewide Monday morning and more than 75 in the Richmond area.
rspringston@timesdispatch.com
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