Richmond, Virginia — With winter weather expected to hit much of Virginia late this weekend and early next week, Gov. Glenn Youngkin has declared a state of emergency and urged residents to take precautions.
“I am declaring a state of emergency for the incoming winter storm currently forecasted to impact Virginia starting Sunday, and I’m encouraging all Virginians, visitors, and travelers to stay alert, monitor the weather forecast, and prepare now for any potential impacts,” Youngkin told reporters.
“If your post-holiday travel plans include a Sunday departure, I recommend changing them to a Saturday departure due to the projected storm size.”
“If you must travel on the road, please heed any warnings and ensure your own and others’ safety. Our pre-treatment preparations are underway, and significant state and local resources will continue to actively monitor the forecast and respond over the weekend.
Super Doppler 10 chief meteorologist Jeff Edmondson said Friday night that the inclement weather Sunday evening and early Monday morning will be a snow to rain event for the majority of the Hampton Roads region.
He predicted that northern parts of Virginia’s Eastern Shore, as well as the Middle Peninsula and the Northern Neck, would see heavy snow early Monday morning. He predicted that Monday will be soggy and cold in Hampton Roads, with a chance of snow later in the day.
Current forecasts for Virginia predict a significant weather event, including snow and freezing rain, beginning Sunday and continuing into Monday.
While projected amounts of snow or freezing rain vary across the state as of Friday, the governor stated that it will be significant enough to have an impact on a wide area, with the main impacts occurring Sunday afternoon and evening into Monday.
Bitter cold temperatures are also expected across the state next week, and gale watches are in effect along the coast from Friday night to Saturday, with winds decreasing Sunday and Monday before increasing again later Monday and Tuesday.
The governor outlined the activities of state agencies prior to the expected weather:
Virginia Department of Emergency Management
VDEM continues to work with local governments and state agency partners to assess potential impacts and respond to any requests for assistance. The Logistics Support and Coordination Center is ready to deploy emergency response assets and supplies as needed to affected areas.
The Virginia Emergency Support Team is monitoring the forecast and will activate the state emergency operations center to coordinate storm-related activities.
Virginia Department of Transportation
VDOT prioritizes the safety of the traveling public, as well as its employees and partners. Crews are pretreating bridges and roadways in some areas, and they will monitor and treat conditions as they arise.
Travelers should pay close attention to forecasts, official announcements, and advisories, and limit their travel based on the conditions.As the holiday season continues and students return to school, travelers should be aware of road conditions throughout their route and plan their trips around the winter storm.
To stay informed about road and traffic conditions in Virginia, drivers can check 511.vdot.virginia.gov, the 511 Virginia mobile app, or call 511.
Virginia State Police
Because of the potential storm impacts, Virginia State Police will adjust the number of troopers and supervisors working the roads on Sunday and Monday.
To avoid unnecessary traffic crashes on Virginia’s highways during the storm, state police recommend that residents postpone travel plans and avoid driving until weather conditions improve.
If you must drive through the storm, drivers are reminded to do the following:
- Use headlights. Increasing your visibility helps you to avoid slick and dangerous spots on the road, as well as helps other drivers see you better.
- Slow your speed. Though state police works closely with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to identify problem areas on Virginia’s highways during a winter storm, drivers still must drive for conditions. Slowing your speed gives you more time to safely react and avoid a crash. Drive your vehicle based on your ability to properly maintain control of your vehicle.
- Don’t tailgate. You need increased stopping distance on slick road surfaces. Give yourself more space between vehicles traveling ahead of you to avoid rear-end collisions.
- Buckle up. Most crashes that occur during winter weather are caused by vehicles sliding into guardrails, off the road or other vehicles. Wearing your seat belt protects you from being thrown around the inside of your vehicle and suffering serious injury in a crash.
- Check your vehicle. Make sure your vehicle is in good working order for the conditions. Fill up the tank in advance. Check windshield wipers, windshield wiper fluid, tire tread, battery life, etc.
- Don’t leave home without a window scraper, blanket, bottled water, snack, cell phone charger and flashlight.
Virginia National Guard
The Virginia National Guard is in close contact with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management regarding potential response operations in the event of severe winter weather.
During domestic operations, if it is determined that the VNG can best provide the requested assistance, VDEM assigns the mission. The VNG works with other state and local agencies to provide support capabilities requests submitted through the VEST by Virginia localities.
Personal Preparedness Actions
- During a winter storm, stay off the roads as much as possible and only drive when absolutely necessary. Always give snowplows and responders the right of way.
- Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal burning device inside your home, garage, basement, crawlspace or any other partially enclosed area.
- Snow shoveling is a known trigger for heart attacks. Always avoid overexertion when shoveling.
- When severe weather occurs, plan to check on elderly or disabled neighbors and relatives.
- If you must travel, know road conditions before you leave home.
- Visit 511.vdot.virginia.gov, check the 511 Virginia mobile app, or call 511 while in Virginia for information on road and traffic conditions.
- Protect yourself from frostbite. Hands, feet and face are the most commonly affected areas so wear a hat, mittens (which are warmer than gloves) and cover your mouth with a scarf to reduce heat loss.
- Keep dry. Change out of wet clothing frequently to prevent a loss of body heat.
- Wear several layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing rather than one layer or heavy clothing.
- Prepare your home
- Make sure your home is properly insulated
- Check the weather stripping around your windows and doors
- Learn how to shut off water valves in case a pipe bursts
- Have additional heat sources on hand in case of a power outages
- Keep a fire extinguisher accessible
- Replace the batteries in your carbon monoxide detector annually
- Prepare your car
- Batteries lose power as temperatures drop, be sure to have yours tested
- Check your car’s antifreeze level
- Have your radiator system serviced
- Replace your car’s windshield wiper fluid with a wintertime mix
- Proactively replace your car’s worn tires and wiper blades
- To help with visibility, clean off your car entirely – including your trunk, roof, windows and headlights
- Please heed warnings to avoid travel. If you absolutely have to be on the roadway, prepare your vehicle and have a kit for you and your passengers. This could include items such as:
- Blankets
- Drinking water and snacks for everyone in the car, including pets
- Boots
- Basic first-aid kit
- Warm coat and insulating layers (sweatpants, gloves, hat, socks)
- Rags, paper towels or pre-moistened wipes
- Basic set of tools
- Car emergency warning devices such as road flares or reflectors
- Ice scraper/snow brush
- Jumper cables/jump pack
- Fire extinguisher
- Cash
- Items for children such as diapers, baby wipes, toys, etc.
- Flashlight, with extra batteries
- Hand warmers
- Paper map
- Portable smartphone power bank
- Extra medication
- Garbage bags
- Traction aid such as sand, salt or non-clumping cat litter
- Tarp, raincoat and gloves
- Shovel
Power Outages
- To report an outage, please contact your service provider
- Check with your provider directly to determine repair schedules
- For more information and tips on what actions to take during a power outage, please visit: https://www.ready.gov/power-outages
Emergency Alerts
These days, emergency alerts can reach you in a variety of ways, including WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts) on your cell phone, EAS (Emergency Alert System) on television and radio, NOAA weather radio alerts, mobile apps, and more.
It is critical to have several options for receiving emergency alerts and to be prepared before an emergency occurs.
- Know the current forecast and get alerted for any watches, warnings, or advisories on the National Weather Service’s website
- Download FEMA app and local news apps for severe weather alerts
- Sign up to receive alerts on your phone, tune in to your local weather station, or listen to your NOAA Weather Radio
