Another day of snow and slick spots for the Shenandoah Valley

STAUNTON — (4 a.m.) A variety of hazards will impact roadways again on Thursday, February 20, in the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands. Snow showers are expected during morning hours, and high temperatures will remain well below freezing. Parts of the region already have up to three inches of snow on the ground from Wednesday’s winter storm. Avoid non-essential travel.

The Virginia Department of Transportation continues plowing and treating roads as needed throughout the 11-county Staunton District.

As of 4 a.m. Thursday, clear conditions are reported on Interstates 64, 66 and 81 in the VDOT Staunton District. Conditions on other roadways are as follows:

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

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

Weather and road conditions vary significantly around Virginia. Southeastern portions of the state have received much more snow since Wednesday morning, and conditions there are hazardous. If travel is essential, check local weather sources and road conditions at 511 Virginia 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.