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Strong winds over the weekend ushered in a strong dose of winter weather in the Rockbridge area this week.
Light snow began falling before daybreak Monday and picked up in the evening, dropping anywhere from 2 to even 6-7 inches of snow, according to responses on The News-Gazette’s Facebook page. The average seemed to be about 3-4 inches.
It was the first time this season that the entire area had seen significant snow.
Schools, which were closed Monday because of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, remained closed Tuesday because of the snow.
Crews with the Virginia Department of Transportation and the public works of the cities have been working throughout the snow event.
As of mid-day Tuesday, interstates were generally clear and most primary roads had only isolated patches of snow or ice.
Single-digit temperatures were expected throughout the region Tuesday night, meaning that any wet surfaces would become icy, including previously plowed and treated roadways.
Temperatures were only expected to reach 30 degrees today, but reach 40 Thursday before falling again Friday with another chance of snow. High temperatures Saturday are predicted to be only in the 20s.
Among the various notices that The News-Gazette has received, the Virginia Horse Center announced that the Lexington Country I Horse Show scheduled for Jan. 18-21 has been canceled.
Also, the Rockbridge Area Health Center mobile unit visits are canceled for this week.
Lexington City Manager Jim Halasz wanted to remind city residents that city code requires sidewalks to be shoveled and that the city will enforce this. “Remember to do it sooner than later t o m ake i t s afer f or y our friends and neighbors,” he said.
DRIVING INTO WORK Tuesday morning, the N-G’s Stephanie Blevins captured a number of snow scenes, including a snowplow driving along U.S. 60 east of Interstate 81 (at left). Other scenes on this page are from along U.S. 60, at the boat locks and on Hevener Drive.
