DANVILLE, Va. – The National Weather Service now says the morning drive could be rough in Danville.
According to the revised forecast from Blacksburg, the timing of the storm has changed, and it will affect the morning commute to work. Meteorologist Michael Sporer says they now expect snow showers to begin around 6 a.m. in Danville and those snow showers will be heavy when they start. The NWS is predicting that Danville could see a total accumulation of 2-4 in this system.
Danville and Pittsylvania County are under a Winter Weather advisory beginning at midnight tonight.
The Public Works Department is pretreating main thoroughfares, bridges and overpasses today because of a threat of snow showers that is forecast to arrive on Friday and bring accumulations of two to four inches of wet snow to the city.
A low-pressure system moving across the deep South and will approach the region from the southwest late tonight. The advisory means that periods of snow will cause travel difficulties.
The snow showers will continue into the afternoon and possibly the evening.
Temperatures will be just above freezing, which could mean that precipitation will turn to a mix of snow and rain at times.
“There are a lot of moving parts with this system, but an all-rain situation is not likely,” Sporer said. He urged residents to monitor the latest forecasts for any changes in track and timing.
Danville Utilities Director Jason Grey said the wet snow could weigh down power lines and tree limbs and lead to power outages. Crews will be on standby through the weekend in the event of power outages.
Residents should make sure they have adequate clothing and blankets to keep warm, including coats, sweaters, hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, etc. If they have a fireplace or wood-burning stove, then they should keep a supply of good, dry wood for heating in case they lose power.
Public Works crews today are pretreating 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 sleet and the roadway, and it, therefore, helps prevent the precipitation from freezing onto roads and bridges.
Residential streets are not pretreated.
Motorists are encouraged to slow down and proceed with caution, especially when traveling on bridges and overpasses and untreated streets.
Residents and visitors can learn more about what to do in the event of power outages and read other winter safety tips by visiting the City’s weather page: danvilleva.gov/weather.
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.