More snow on the way?
Early forecasts have Mid-Atlantic in crosshairs … again
Story by Chris Graham
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net
A news release from AccuWeather.com Thursday morning has the Mid-Atlantic and Central Appalachians in the line of fire for a possible winter storm Sunday night and Monday.
The path of the storm is uncertain at this point, but the early forecast models are suggesting that the storm system, currently forecast to dump rain and snow on Califormia before tracking east, could produce heavy snowfall or heavy rain in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
Either could be a problem with the substantial snowpack already on the ground.
Check back to AugustaFreePress.com for more information as the weather situation develops.
Clean the streets already
How soon should it take to get the roads passable?
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
It can be hard, to say the least, to manage expectations with regard to cleaning streets and roadways after snowstorms. Which is to say, it can be hard to manage the high level of expectations that we have following storms, namely to have streets and roads cleared as soon as is humanly possible, if not sooner than that.
“Some folks like to think we can spend an unlimited amount of time and money and remove all snow from all street surfaces. That is not a reasonable goal or outcome as we certainly do not have an unlimited amount of time and money,” said Jim Halasz, the assistant city manager in Staunton, which does not have in place specific guidelines setting time deadlines for having streets cleared of snow and ice following storms.
The same is the case in Waynesboro, according to City Manager Mike Hamp. Waynesboro officials do try to operate within a general guideline of having streets in passable condition within 24 hours of a storm in snow events up to 8 inches in accumulation, but dealing with amounts over that threshold can be and has proven to be problematic this winter. Continue reading “Clean the streets already” »
Climatologist: Snowy winter ‘just one of those things’
Column by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Take solace, folks. The meteorologists can’t explain why it’s snowing all the time, either.
“To a large extent, it’s just one of those things. But one of those things means we don’t fully understand all the dynamics that go on with this, all the atmospheric physics involved,” said Jerry Stenger, the director of the Virginia State Climatology Office at the University of Virginia.
I had Stenger on the line for a segment on The AFP Show news podcast. My question led him to the “one of those things” quote, the thrust of where I was going with the topic being, Surely you guys know what’s going on, right, or is it just one of those things? Continue reading “Climatologist: Snowy winter ‘just one of those things’” »
Forecast: 5 to 10 inches of snow Tuesday, Wednesday
Staff Report
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro effective 9 a.m. Tuesday to 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The Greater Augusta region is in line for a possible 5 to 10 inches of snow accumulation due to the storm.
Harrisonburg and Rockingham to our north are in line for a possible 6 to 12 inches of snow from this storm, and the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Md., metro areas could see 10 to 20 inches of snow in the next two days.
Here we go again: Valley braces for another big snowstorm
Staff Report
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Augusta County, Staunton and Wayensboro beginning Tuesday morning.
The forecast for Tuesday into Wednesday afternoon calls for possible snow accumulations of 5 inches of snow or more.
Harrisonburg and Rockingham County and locales to their north in the Shenandoah Valley are under a Winter Storm Warning with a forecast for 6 to 12 inches of accumulation possible from the upcoming storm.
The Washington, D.C,, and Baltimore, Md., metro areas are in a Winter Storm Warning area with forecast accumulations of 10 to 20 inches possible from the storm.
Backhoe damages downtown business
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
A Downtown Waynesboro building is damaged after an accident involving a city backhoe that was clearing snow on Federal Street late Saturday night.
The back of the Augusta Cleaners building at 534 W. Main St. was left with an open gash two to three feet across and perhaps eight to ten feet high.
City Manager Mike Hamp was on the scene within minutes of the incident in the 10 p.m. hour. Hamp said there were no injuries associated with the incident.
There were no early estimates on damage to the building. Building Inspector Joe Honbarrier was called to the scene to survey the damage.
Property owner Dave Barrett was on the scene as well to move inventory stored in the back of the brick building.
Weather Blog: 20 to 30 inches or more of snow possible
Moderated by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The latest forecast from the National Weather Service has the Augusta County, Staunton, Waynesboro area in line for 20 to 30 inches of snow with this weekend’s winter storm, with localized amounts of 30 inches-plus possible in higher elevations in the area.
The snow began early Friday morning in the Shenandoah Valley, and is expected to pick up in intensity beginning in the late-afternoon hours through Saturday morning.
Visibilities will be in the quarter-mile-or-less range tonight and Saturday morning.
Winds will be sustained at 10 to 15 mph with gusts to 25 mph tonight and Saturday.
Check back to the Weather Blog for the latest on the winter storm. Updates will be posted by the AFP in the Comments section.
Feel free to share details on weather where you are in our Comments thread.
Snow Emergency Blog: The latest on road conditions and more
Moderated by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The Shenandoah Valley is under a state of emergency with the winter storm that is expected to dump as much as 30 inches of snow on the area this weekend.
The Snow Emergency Blog has the latest on road conditions from the Virginia Department of Transportation and the latest on the availability of emergency shelters from the local governments in Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro.
Look for updates from the AFP in the Comments section.
Cancellations Blog: The latest on weather-related closings
Moderated by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Postponement and cancellation notices are pouring in as the snow pours down on Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro associated with the powerful winter storm making its way up the East Coast this weekend.
The AFP will post updates on weather-related postponements and cancellations to our Cancellations Blog in the Comments section attached to this story.
Feel free to post your own postponement and cancellation news to the blog under Comments.
Updated snow forecast: 20 to 28 inches
Staff Report
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net
The National Weather Service has amended its Winter Storm Warning for Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro. The latest forecast from the National Weather Service, issued at 2:10 p.m., has the area in line for possible snow accumulations of 20 to 28 inches this weekend.
The Winter Storm Watch is in effect from 6 a.m. Friday to 10 p.m. Saturday.
AccuWeather.com is projecting snowfall rates of up to 3 inches per hour at the height of the storm. The worst of the storm is expected to come into the area late Friday afternoon and be here through the dawn hours on Saturday.
That rate of snowfall will make it difficult for road snow-removal crews to keep up.
It is advised that people stay off the roads as much as is possible during the storm because of expected treacherous driving conditions. Visibilities will be one-quarter mile and less during the worst part of the snow event with sustained 10 to 15 mph winds and gusts of 25 mph creating near-blizzard conditions.
Get out of the road!
Authorities ask residents to move cars if possible
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The Virginia Department of Transportation and the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro are asking local residents to park vehicles in driveways or otherwise off local- and state-maintained streets and roads to allow snow-plow drivers to do their thing.
VDOT is responsible for snow-removal operations in Augusta County. A press release from the local Staunton office includes the tip that moving cars out of roadways makes it less likely for cars and trucks to be plowed in inadvertently due to snow-removal work.
A similar message was sounded in the cities. Waynesboro city officials also advised residents to wait until snow plows make their first pass before digging out to avoid having to dig out twice and to remove snow from fire hydrants on their property to save time for emergency crews in the event of a localized emergency situation.
The city has also set up a page on the city website for residents to monitor the status of snow removal – www.waynesboro.va.us/snow-report.php.
The Rant | Snowbody knows
Video Essay by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
We’re hearing from people who are annoyed with the endless speculation about how much snow this weekend’s winter storm is going to dump on the Valley.
AFP editor Chris Graham is annoyed wtih the annoyed. It’s human nature to fill in the blanks on something this potentially big. It doesn’t mean that those who engage in the speculation are as misguided for doing so as the thought police seem to want you to believe.
The advice for those who want to stay above the fray – don’t look at Facebook, among other things. Continue reading “The Rant | Snowbody knows” »
