Snowy roads early Tuesday morning in the Shenandoah Valley – avoid travel if possible

STAUNTON — (4 a.m.) Up to four inches of snow have fallen in the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands, leaving potentially hazardous driving conditions early Tuesday morning. Overnight refreezing and lingering snow showers will create slick surfaces on previously plowed roadways.

If you must travel, know the road conditions throughout your intended route. Expect changes as precipitation amounts and types vary greatly across Virginia. Current road conditions, traffic cameras and other resources are at 511virginia.org. Always buckle up when traveling.

The Virginia Department of Transportation has had crews plowing and treating roads throughout the 11-county Staunton District since midnight Sunday night. Crews will continue these operations on 12-hour shifts as long as needed. Road-clearing priorities are as follows: 

• The Interstate Highway System and limited-access roadways are our first priority.
• Primary roads and major secondary roads 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.

Here are the road conditions as of 4 a.m. in the VDOT Staunton District:

Interstates 64 – Minor conditions in Alleghany, Rockbridge and Augusta counties.

Interstates 66 – Minor conditions in Warren County.

Interstates 81 – Moderate conditions in Frederick County. Minor conditions in Rockbridge, Augusta, Rockingham and Shenandoah counties.

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

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

VDOT provides statewide road conditions and traffic cameras at 511Virginia.org. 511 apps are available for Android and iOS devices. Roads with snow 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.

Access the VDOT Customer Service Center at its mobile friendly website: my.vdot.virginia.gov. Agents are on site 24/7 to assist the public. Reach the VDOT Customer Service Center by phone at 800-FOR-ROAD (800-367-7623).

The VDOT Staunton District is on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). Follow VDOT statewide accounts on Facebook, Flickr, X and YouTube. The VDOT website is www.vdot.virginia.gov and includes a weather safety page.

The VDOT Staunton District serves Frederick, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany and Bath counties.

VDOT statewide X feeds can be found at @VaDOT. The nine districts can be found at: Hampton Roads @VaDOTHR; Richmond @VaDOTRVA; Northern Virginia @VaDOTNOVA;  Fredericksburg @VaDOTFred; Culpeper @VaDOTCulp; Lynchburg @VaDOTLynchburg; Bristol @VaDOTBristol; Salem @VaDOTSalem; and Staunton @VaDOTStaunton.