Ice may pose hazard this morning

Thousands of people remained without power last night after the largest snowstorm to hit the Richmond area in seven years.

Although highway crews are fighting to clear roads, an overnight low in the low to mid-teens means icy patches could pose a hazard this morning.

Authorities suggested motorists should leave home early and drive slowly.

The storm, which unofficially dropped 10 to 11 inches of snow on parts of the region, was the largest to hit here since Jan. 3, 2002, when 7.7 inches fell in the city.

And the storm, which began Sunday evening and ended yesterday about midmorning, was the largest March snowstorm since 13 inches fell March 1-2, 1980, the National Weather Service said.

"For this late in the year, this was a fairly significant storm," said James Foster, a weather service meteorologist in Wakefield.

"I'm looking for spring," he said.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared a state of emergency yesterday, which made it easier for state agencies to assist local governments.

One death may have been storm-related. Authorities said the body of Marion Detweiler, 78, was found in her Caroline County home after firefighters put out an early-morning fire yesterday.

Investigators believed the fire was sparked by a generator, although the official cause was not determined immediately. Heavy snow hampered efforts to reach the house, officials said.

Dominion Virginia Power reported about 32,000 customers without power in the Richmond-Petersburg area yesterday evening.

About 102,000 customers had lost power at some point during the storm, Dominion spokesman David Botkins said at midafternoon.

About 90 percent of those in the dark should get power by tonight, Botkins said.

About 34,200 customers served by electric cooperatives in central Virginia also were without power yesterday. That included about 22,000 served by Southside Electric Cooperative, whose service area includes parts of Amelia, Chesterfield and Powhatan counties.

Most of the cooperatives' customers should have power restored by midday, with the exception of some served by Southside, who may have to wait a couple of days, officials said.

Interstates and most primary roads were passable yesterday, but many secondary roads remained snow-covered.

"Although conditions are improving and we have people working 12-hour shifts, we still have a long way to go," said Taya Jarman, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

With schools closed across the Richmond area, some teachers were as happy to have a day off, as were their students.

"I think teachers enjoy snow days more than students," said Gwyneth Hagan while dining at a coffee shop in the Fan District. She teaches fourth grade at Robious Elementary School in Chesterfield County.

Schools closed today include those in Richmond and in Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties.

Virginia State Police Sgt. Tom Cunningham said state police responded to 402 crashes from 4 p.m. Sunday through 6 p.m. yesterday in central Virginia and the Northern Neck. Of those, 41 crashes involved a reported injury. No fatalities were reported.

Troopers responded to an additional 255 calls for disabled vehicles during that period.

At the storm's peak yesterday morning, state police were responding to about 50 crashes and disabled vehicles, Cunningham said.

. . .

At Forest Hill Park in South Richmond, snowy days create a traffic jam on the roads -- and on the hills.

Quavon Williams, 14, who lives near Jefferson Davis Highway, said he liked having a round sled because he could go farther and spin around. His sister, Jahlil Williams, 8, had been down the hill just enough times to realize "it feels cold."

"They enjoy it because they are out of school," said their grandfather, John Robinson. As for himself, "I just like the snow."

Today should be sunny and in the low 30s. A warm-up should start tomorrow, when the high should hit the low to mid-40s. Thursday through Sunday should be in the mid-50s to low 60s.

Emergency shelters were to open yesterday in Richmond, Caroline and Powhatan counties, among other places. The Richmond shelter, at Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, 14 W. Duval St., also will be open tonight at 6:30.

Barbara Smith of Farmville fared OK, even though a neighbor had trees down in the yard, and another had his cable and power lines come down.

"We were on the lucky side of the street, I guess," Smith said.

The Coleman Bridge between Gloucester and York counties remained in the open position for nearly 2 hours yesterday afternoon because of a problem with a switch, causing traffic delays. VDOT spokeswoman Lauren Hansen said the problem was not related to the storm.

Contact Rex Springston at (804) 649-6453 or .

Staff writers Reed Williams, Katherine Calos, Jeremy Slayton, Jamie C. Ruff and Mark Bowes, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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