Fern Leaves Ice, Cold VDOT, Public Works Crews Still Battling Tough Conditions
After days of warnings that precipitation totals could approach 2 feet or more, a sprawling weekend winter storm arrived Saturday night and delivered exactly what forecasters feared, though not quite in the form many expected.
Snow began falling after dark, coating much of the region with several inches of accumulation. But by early Sunday, the system shifted to sleet and freezing precipitation, leaving behind not fluffy drifts but a dense, windblown crust of ice that hardened across roads, sidewalks and driveways.
Across much of Rockbridge County, what remains from the winter storm named Fern isn’t deep snow so much as a hard, white shell. Pellets of sleet were blown and redistributed by gusty winds, creating uneven buildup and slick patches that have proven stubborn to clear.
Residents had time to prepare. Grocery stores reported runs on staples like milk and bread ahead of the storm, and many people stayed home once precipitation began.
As of Tuesday morning, schools remained closed across the area and many government offices had yet to reopen, though Lexington’s administrative offices planned to resume operations late.
Even after precipitation tapered off, road crews cautioned that recovery would take days, not hours.
In a late Sunday night update, the Virginia Department of Transportation reported that most roadways across its Staunton District — which includes Rockbridge County and 10 neighboring counties — remained snow- and icecovered, with many routes in “moderate” condition. Officials urged residents to delay travel to allow plows to continue clearing major routes overnight.
By early Monday morning, the agency warned it was “too soon to commute,” saying snow and ice persisted on most roads and advising motorists to avoid nonessential travel until at least midday. Extreme cold temperatures slowed melting and caused refreezing on roads that had already been treated.
The scale of the VDOT response has been significant. Nearly 150 vehicles and pieces of equipment have been plowing and treating highways throughout Rockbridge County since Saturday evening, with crews and con- tractors working rotating 12hour shifts around the clock.
Plowing priorities focus first on interstates and primary routes before moving to secondary roads and neighborhoods, a process that can take several days after major storms. Officials noted that traffic on untreated roads can pack snow into dense layers that are harder for plows to remove, slowing cleanup.
State police also reported numerous incidents during the storm.
As of 4 p.m. Monday, Virginia State Police said troopers statewide had responded to 506 crashes, including 38 crashes involving injuries.
In Division 6 — which covers Rockbridge and much of western Virginia — troopers responded to 58 crashes, five of them involving injuries, and one fatal crash in Pittsylvania County that remains under investigation. Figures for Rockbridge County were available.
Police and transportation officials continued to urge residents to stay off the roads unless travel is necessary, noting that crashes and disabled vehicles can divert plows and emergency crews away from clearing efforts and delay response times.
Despite slick roads and icy conditions, Rockbridge County emergency responders reported relatively few storm-related incidents.
Fire Chief Nathan Ramsey said crews saw no major emergencies during the height of the storm and were largely able to operate as normal.
“We were prepared, but we really didn’t have anything significant to report,” Ramsey said.
One structure fire in Goshen destroyed an outbuilding, but the remote location and road conditions limited access, and crews allowed the building to burn. No injuries were reported.
Otherwise, Ramsey said calls were mostly routine medical incidents — and possibly even fewer than usual — as many residents stayed home.
He credited VDOT’s roadclearing efforts with helping prevent crashes and other emergencies.
“VDOT’s hard work keeping the roadways open and clear probably prevented a lot of accidents that we might normally have had,” he said. -The Lexington Department of Public Works has been working on clearing snow off of the city streets for the past few days and is still running crews in 12-hour shifts, Public Works Director Patrick Madigan told The News-Gazette on Tuesday.
He also said that additional salt has been put down in areas where the streets don’t get as much direct sunlight. No power loss or other utility issues had been reported.
While crews have been taking trash that has been put out by residents as often as they can, Madigan is asking that residents not put their trash out for collection until the streets are clear. -While Buena Vista hasn’t had any road closures due to this weekend’s weather, clearing the streets has proven difficult, in large part due to the sleet that followed the snow and the cold temperatures that have persisted over the past several days.
“We’re telling everyone to use caution and to take your time,” said Corey Henson, director of the Buena Vista Department of Public Works.
Henson told The News-Gazette on Tuesday that most of the main streets had been cleared “down to bare pavement,” but the side streets still had patches of ice. The usual road treatments haven’t been as effective due to the cold temperatures, he said, but he said additional salt had been put down Tuesday morning, and that crews would be working to clear parking downtown throughout the day Tuesday.
Henson noted that the city has had issues with frozen water, both in residences and at some city meters. He also said that there had been issues with some of the city’s utility vehicles breaking down, but that mechanics have been on duty around the clock to work on them. -By early Tuesday, conditions had begun to improve on major corridors, though officials said lingering ice remained a concern.
VDOT reported that interstates and most primary roads across Rockbridge County were largely clear by 4:45 a.m., but secondary roads and neighborhood streets still ranged from minor to moderate snow and ice coverage after an overnight deep freeze hardened remaining sleet.
Crews continued working around the clock to treat those routes, cautioning that vehicles driving on untreated roads can compress snow into thick, icy layers that take longer to remove. Motorists were advised to use caution and check conditions through the state’s 511 Virginia system before traveling.
Unlike some past winter storms, widespread power outages did not materialize locally.
BARC Electric Cooperative reported only minimal service disruptions over the weekend. Representatives said freezing rain and stronger winds largely held off until after the bulk of precipitation had passed, reducing stress on trees and power lines.
With temperatures plunging this week, the cooperative is encouraging residents to conserve energy when possible to help manage higher heating demand and utility bills.
And the forecast? Another potential storm for the weekend, to go along with temperatures not expected to climb above freezing until Monday.
