7 p.m. update:
According to the National Weather Service in Wakefield, Richmond set a snowfall record Sunday with 3.8 inches reported at Richmond International Airport. The previous record was 3.5 inches, set on Dec. 26, 1917.
5 p.m. update:
The Virginia Department of Transportation has cleared snow from interstates in the Richmond area, but the department warns of severe conditions on primary roads in Dinwiddie, Prince George and Nottoway counties.
The department said deep snow still covers parts of U.S. 301 and U.S. 460 in Dinwiddie and Prince George, as well as U.S. 1 in Dinwiddie and U.S. 360 in Nottoway. Conditions are moderate in Chesterfield, where snow still covers parts of U.S. 1, state Route 10, U.S. 60, and U.S. 360.
Otherwise, snowy conditions are minor on primary routes throughout the 14-county Richmond District.
Conditions range from moderate to severe on secondary roads throughout the region, according to the transportation department, which advised "extreme caution" in driving on those roads.
Even on interstates, state officials warned that continuing snow and falling temperatures could cause icy conditions, especially on bridges, overpasses, and ramps.
10 a.m. update:
Snow will continue to fall in the Richmond area into this evening, with accumulation of about a half-foot expected here and double that along the Atlantic coast.
State highway officials urged people this morning to stay off the roads as long as possible to allow plows to clear them.
Travelers should avoid back roads and stick to interstates and other main highways as much as possible, said Dawn Eischen, spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation in the Richmond region.
"We're trying to encourage people to keep tight wherever they are," Eischen said. "It's hard to clear the roads when it continues to snow like this."
Virginia State Police reported more than 200 traffic accidents this morning, with more than 20 involving injuries, but no fatalities. Most of the accidents have been in the Hampton Roads area.
The Virginia National Guard has 100 soldiers on duty in the Hampton Roads area, where they plan to go out in Humvees to scout local road conditions and support efforts by local and state emergency management operations.
Another 50 members of the Guard have been called into work for administrative and maintenance support, Maj. Cotton Puryear said.
Gov. Bob McDonnell issued an emergency declaration Saturday afternoon to allow the Guard to call in up to 250 soldiers for emergency response.
"We need to get our folks in before the snow starts to fall," Puryear said.
Don Proch, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Wakefield, said the storm is moving north and east about 200 miles off the coast, which already has 6 to 7inches of snow and sustained winds of about 40 miles per hour.
Proch said the storm had dropped about 3 inches at Richmond International Airport by 7 a.m. today and more to the east, with about 5 inches in Disputanta in Prince George County. Two to three more inches are expected in the region before the storm tapers off this evening. The storm will last longer along the coast, with an additional 6 inches possible there before the precipitation ends late tonight.
As the low-pressure system moves north tomorrow, a high-pressure system is forecast to sweep into the region with high winds and falling temperatures.
Tonight, temperatures are expected to drop into the low 20s and reach no higher than the mid-30s tomorrow.
Posted at 8:04 a.m.
After an overnight lull, snow resumed falling this morning in the Richmond area with another 2 to 4 inches expected today.
The wind is also going to pick up, coming from the north between 13 and 15 mph with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Accumulations are heavier to the south and east. The coast is getting walloped, with the Eastern Shore expected to get a foot or more with winds gusting over 40 mph.
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