An old Appalachian folklore saying declares that snow laying on the ground three days is waiting for another snow.
If the crusty sleet-infused inches-deep icy shell covering most of Southwest and Southside Virginia from last weekend’s storm qualifies as “snow laying on the ground,” then that saying is about to be manifested.
Snow is expected to spread across all of Southwest and Southside in a series of waves starting Friday morning and continuing possibly as late as Saturday evening with a large section of the region getting 3-6 inches of snow. Most of the accumulation is expected to occur midnight Friday to noon Saturday.
Some totals may top 6 inches in a few locations along and west of Interstate 77 and eastward along the North Carolina border, with closer to 1-2 inches to the north along Interstate 64.
Generally, across Virginia most locations south of a west-east line through Charlottesville are expected to see some accumulating snowfall. As always, there may be variance north and south in snow area and expected accumulations pending small variations in atmospheric details.
The snow is being caused by an upper-level low pressure moving eastward, lifting moisture into dense cold air. Because it is so cold throughout the atmosphere, no sleet or freezing rain is expected.
Also, the type of snowflakes that form in colder temperatures aloft produce a fluffier accumulation, and the same moisture that typically produces only an inch of snow might produce two or three instead.
The upper-level low will eventually help spin up a strong surface low just off the coast from the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Once that happens late Saturday, heavy snow with strong winds will develop over eastern North Carolina, possibly extending into the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, and the snow in our region will wither away.
North Carolina, on the whole, is expected to see heavier snow than Virginia this time around, possibly 8-12 inches in some areas. But the central part of the state might be skipped over by the heavier snow between the upper low’s influence to the west and the surface low to the east.
Even if snow ends up less than forecast in Virginia, any amount of snow can add to the problems laid down by last week’s storm that affected our entire region with impactful snow, sleet and freezing rain.
“The problem is that much of the county still has 3-4 inches of ice that is hard packed. It won’t crack or break when you walk across it,” said Matt Hankins, deputy county administrator for Wythe County. “Whatever falls this weekend will fall on a thick layer of ice, so traction and getting out will be hard for lots of folks.”
Hankins said they have had a lot of falls and broken bones on the ice sheets that remain, which was what county officials were worried about with the extended cold temperatures.
While the fluffy snow is not expected to cause power outages, highways will become slick quickly with any amount of snow coverage.
“Virginians greatly assisted the Virginia Department of Transportation [VDOT] during last weekend’s major winter storm by remaining at home, allowing snow removal crews to make significant progress on plowing and treating major roads,” the agency said in a press release. “VDOT needs your help again ahead of another forecasted winter storm this weekend and predicted low temperatures again next week.”
VDOT advises travelers to “be weather aware and check the forecast along their entire route,” to stay off roads in snow-affected areas when possible, and to visit 511.vdot.virginia.gov, check the 511 Virginia mobile app or call 511 in Virginia for road condition updates.
Cardinal News reporter Susan Cameron contributed to this report.