DANVILLE, Va. – Danville Public Works Department crews are completing pretreatment of the major streets, bridges, and overpasses because periods of snow are expected this evening. The snow will quickly cover road surfaces and cause travel difficulties.
The National Weather Service in Blacksburg says an accumulation of one to two inches of snow is most likely. However, the accumulation could be as much as three inches.
A winter weather advisory for Danville and the surrounding area takes effect at 4 p.m. Meteorologist Ben Gruver said Danville may see light snow between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., but the heaviest rate of snow fall will occur during the evening hours.
The precipitation could begin as light rain, but it will quickly changeover to snow. Gruver said the snow will taper off after midnight and end before sunrise.
Temperatures will fall to below freezing and remain below freezing on Saturday. However, Gruver said skies will become mostly sunny on Saturday afternoon, which will lead to melting on street surfaces.
“The worst travel time will be Saturday morning because the skies will be cloudy,” Gruver said. “In the afternoon, even though temperatures will remain below freezing, with the sun beating down on street surfaces, you will get that melting.”
Public Works crews on Thursday began pretreating the major thoroughfares, bridges, and overpasses with brine, which is a mixture of water and salt. The water in the brine evaporates, leaving the salt behind on the road. The salt breaks the bond between the snow and the roadway, and it, therefore, helps prevent the snow from freezing onto roads and bridges.
Residential streets are not pretreated.
Public Works trucks are mounted with snowplows. Crews this evening will begin working 12-hour, round-the-clock shifts. Crews begin plowing major thoroughfares when an inch of snow accumulates on street surfaces. Residents and visitors are urged to avoid travel once snow begins. Those who must travel should maintain a safe speed, increase following distance, and watch for crews working to clear streets.
Residents and visitors can learn more about snow removal operations and read winter safety tips by visiting the City’s weather page: danvilleva.gov/weather.
Danville Utilities crews are on standby. In the event of large-scale outages, crews will work staggered 16-hour shifts. Customers are encouraged to review the Danville Utilities’ storm preparation guide: https://danvilleutilities.com/attachments/2021_Danville-Utilities_Storm-Preparation-Guide_INT.pdf
If any resident or visitor needs shelter, then they should call the City of Danville non-emergency number, which is 434-799-5111, option 8. Arrangements for shelter will be made.
Governor Glenn Youngkin has declared a state of emergency because much of the state will receive accumulating snow. Areas along the coastline will experience the largest impacts. Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) crews will be working throughout the night and into tomorrow to clear the snow.
The Virginia State Police is preparing for this latest round of winter weather by strategically staging personnel in those areas that will see the most snow, to include on the Eastern Shore, which is under a blizzard warning. All available troopers will be on patrol throughout the state in order to respond as quickly as possible to traffic crashes, emergencies and disabled motorists.
Those who must travel should visit 511virginia.org to check conditions before driving. Motorists are advised to have an emergency kit inside their vehicle with things like food and water, blankets, hats and gloves, jumper cables, a flashlight and batteries and a working cell phone.
VDOT’s Customer Service Center is open 24 hours a day to answer questions and take reports of roadway hazards. Call 1-800-FOR-ROAD (367-7623) or contact VDOT online at https://my.vdot.virginia.gov/