Snow arriving in the Shenandoah Valley – Conditions expected to deteriorate Sunday afternoon

STAUNTON — (12 p.m.) Winter weather is working its way into the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands, and beginning to create slick driving conditions. Most of the region will see snowfall Sunday afternoon and evening, followed by an extended period of extreme cold that will cause wet or slushy surfaces to freeze.

Virginia Department of Transportation crews and contractors are plowing and treating roads as needed in the 11-county VDOT Staunton District. Salt is less effective on roadways when temperatures dip below 20 degrees. Roads that have been plowed and/or treated may remain icy. VDOT spreads gravel and other abrasives on unpaved roads to improve traction. Packed snow and ice may remain during extreme low temperatures.

As of noon Sunday, VDOT reported minor conditions on roadways in Bath, Highland, Augusta, Rockingham and Page counties as well as higher elevations throughout the Staunton District.

Weather and road conditions may vary around the state. For essential travel, check local weather sources and road conditions at 511Virginia for your entire route before starting a trip.

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.