Snow Slickens Roads in Much of the Shenandoah Valley

STAUNTON, Va. (VR) – Snow is falling and creating slick roadways in many parts of the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands. Up to two inches has accumulated since early Wednesday morning, February 19, much of it in the southern valley and higher elevations. Snowfall is expected to continue into the evening. Temperatures will be well below freezing Wednesday night and Thursday, so icy conditions are possible – even on treated surfaces.

More treacherous conditions are expected in southern and eastern portions of Virginia, where up to a foot of snow is expected to fall. Avoid traveling to these parts of the state until well after the winter storm.

The Virginia Department of Transportation is plowing and treating roadways as needed in the 11-county Staunton District. Here are the conditions as of late-morning Wednesday:

Interstate 64 – Minor conditions in Alleghany, Rockbridge and Augusta counties.

Interstate 66 – Clear conditions in Warren County.

Interstate 81 – Minor conditions in Rockbridge, Augusta, Rockingham and Shenandoah counties. Clear conditions in Frederick County.

Primary roads – Moderate conditions in Bath County. Minor conditions in Alleghany, Rockbridge, Highland, Augusta, Rockingham, Page and Shenandoah counties. Clear conditions in Frederick, Clarke and Warren counties.

Secondary roads – Moderate conditions in Bath, Augusta, Rockingham and Page counties. Minor conditions in Alleghany, Rockbridge, Highland and Shenandoah counties. Clear conditions in Frederick, Clarke and Warren counties.

Weather and road conditions vary significantly around the state. If travel is essential, check local weather sources and road conditions at 511Virginia for your entire route before leaving.

The updated URL and website for 511Virginia is https://511.vdot.virginia.gov/. Apps are also available for Android and iOS devices. 511 has traffic cameras, current crash locations, weather conditions and more. The public can sign-up for 511 alerts to be sent to their personal device. Roads with snow and ice conditions are marked minor, moderate, severe or closed.

Road condition definitions:

• Closed – Road is closed to all traffic.
• Severe – drifting or partially blocked road.
• Moderate – snow or ice on major portions of the roadway. 
• Minor – bare pavement except for isolated spots of snow, ice or slush. Driving with caution is recommended.

VDOT is responsible for snow removal on all state-maintained roads as follows: 

• The Interstate Highway System and limited-access roadways are VDOT’s first priority. 
• Primary roads (routes numbered 1 to 599) and major secondary routes (numbered 600 and up) with vital emergency and public facilities, or those with high-traffic volumes, will be cleared along with interstate and limited-access roadways as resources allow. 
• Low-volume secondary roads and subdivision streets will be treated after higher-priority routes are completed and additional resources are available. 

Another information source is the VDOT website: https://www.vdot.virginia.gov, which includes a dedicated weather travel page.

The VDOT Customer Service Center can be accessed through its mobile friendly website at https://my.vdot.virginia.gov/. Agents are on site 24/7 every day of the year to assist the public. People can also call the VDOT Customer Service Center at 800-FOR- ROAD (800-367-7623).

The Staunton District X (Twitter) feed is at @VaDOTStaunton. The VDOT Staunton District has a group page on Facebook. Follow VDOT statewide accounts on Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube. Links to all of VDOT’s statewide and district social-media channels are found here.

The VDOT Staunton District serves Frederick, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany and Bath counties.