Rain from Ida is forecast to continue to fall through the day and evening, with another inch or more likely to fall across Piedmont Virginia. Crews with the Virginia Department of Transportation will be on duty through the storm to respond to any reports of flooded roads or other damage.
There have been numerous tornado warnings as well as flood watches last night and today, but no significant damage to roads in the nine counties of the Culpeper District – Albemarle, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock – has been reported so far.
Motorists should drive with extreme caution through the day and overnight into Thursday morning. Small streams can rise quickly and without warning due to heavy rain upstream. Two feet of water is enough to float most vehicles, including trucks and SUVs, and when a road is submerged a driver may not be able to tell whether the road is damaged or washed out.
For the latest information about road closures, check 511Virginia.org. A current list of road closures is at Road Conditions Table (511virginia.org).
As the water recedes, Virginia Department of Transportation crews will check any closed roads for damage before reopening them to traffic. Motorists should not drive around barricades, even if the water is down and the road appears passable since there may be damage that is not immediately apparent.
In addition to current traffic conditions and other real-time travel information on the 511 Virginia website, that information is also available on the free VDOT 511 mobile app or by calling 511 from any phone in Virginia. VDOT updates are also on Facebook and the district’s Twitter account, @VaDOTCulp.
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Chris Graham
