The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning and Winter Weather Advisory for Wednesday through Thursday, with frigid temperatures and snow accumulations expected in much of the region.
The storm is anticipated to affect travel in western Virginia starting on Wednesday, Feb. 18, with predicted low temperatures in the 20s and teens throughout much of the rest of the week. This means packed down or frozen snow may remain on some roads and be slow to melt.
Drivers should monitor forecasts and plan travel around this next winter weather event which is expected to bring inches of snow and impact both the morning and evening commutes.
Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) crews and contractors began pretreating interstates and main roads ahead of the storm on Tuesday. Drivers should stay clear of brine trucks and do not pass. VDOT reminds drivers that the first priority in any winter weather event are the interstates and primary roads (those numbered 1-599) and high-volume secondary routes.
Equipment operators will be making multiple passes over these major routes and will not work on low-volume secondary roads (those numbered 600 and above), neighborhood streets and unpaved roads until the precipitation stops and progress is made on the main roads.
For more updates on local conditions, follow the Facebook Community for Salem District at https://www.facebook.com/groups/VDOTSalem or on Twitter @VaDOTSalem.
