Winter storm Fern arrived late Saturday night in the Commonwealth bringing a mixture of snow and ice that is expected to continue through Monday morning.
Virginia State Police is urging drivers to stay off the roads. As of 4 p.m. Sunday, there have been 297 crashes and 20 accidents with injuries statewide.
The Virginia Department of Transportation is reporting moderate conditions on interstates and primary and secondary roads in Frederick, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany and Bath counties, as of 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.
VDOT is asking drivers to wait until after 10 a.m. tomorrow to travel to give its crews ample time to plow the roads.
VDOT reports it may not reach all secondary roads and subdivisions for several days.
5:09 p.m. VDOT recommends avoiding travel through 10 a.m. Monday
Snow has given way to sleet, freezing rain and a wintry mix throughout the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands.
As of 4:30 p.m. Sunday, all roadways in the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Staunton District are reported to be in moderate condition. This means snow and ice cover most of the road surface.
Drivers should continue to avoid travel tonight and delay driving until 10 a.m. on Monday due to icy conditions. By delaying travel, you are helping VDOT crews work through the night, which will allow them to get to subdivision streets sooner.
Crews and contractors continue plowing and treating major roadways, and they are working around the clock on rotating 12-hour shifts.
Plowing focuses first on interstates and most primary routes and may not reach all secondary roads and subdivisions for several days.
Extreme cold during and after the storm extends the time needed to complete plowing operations and may cause refreezing on roads previously plowed and treated.
If you need to travel Monday morning, know road conditions before you leave home.
4 p.m. Virginia State Police: 297 crashes, 20 with injuries
The winter storm continues to impact the Commonwealth. Drivers should stay off the roads today and into Monday morning. If you are on the roads, give VDOT trucks and emergency crews room to do their jobs.
As of 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon (Jan. 25, 2026), for the duration of the storm, Virginia State Police has responded to 297 crashes, 20 of which had injuries.
- Division 1 (Central Virginia and Richmond) – 69 crashes, one with injuries
- Division 2 (Northwest Virginia, Winchester and Harrisonburg) – 20 crashes, one with injuries
- Division 3 (Central Virginia, Western Virginia and Appomattox) – 32 crashes, three with injuries
- Division 4 (Southwest Virginia) – 43 crashes, three with injuries
- Division 5 (Hampton Roads) – 60 crashes, six with injuries
- Division 6 (Western Virginia and Roanoke) – 42 crashes, four with injuries
- Division 7 (Northern Virginia) – 31 crashes, two with injuries; one fatal crash (not storm related, occurred in Fairfax County Saturday evening)
Schools begin to announce closures
- Augusta County: Public schools and all school division offices and departments will be closed Monday, Jan. 26, and Tuesday, Jan. 27. Essential personnel may be called to work on Tuesday, according to an update on social media.
- Rockbridge County: Due to the wintry mix across our area, Rockbridge County Public Schools will be closed on Monday, Jan. 26. Employee Code 4.
- Staunton: Due to significant snowfall and sleet from the winter storm, Staunton City Schools will be closed on Monday, Jan. 26. Twelve-month employees do not report. All athletic and extracurricular activities are canceled.
- Waynesboro: Due to icy road conditions throughout the city, Waynesboro Public Schools will be closed on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. All scheduled before- and after-school events and activities are also canceled.
1:31 p.m. Warming centers, shelters announced in region
- Lynchburg: Salvation Army Warming Center, open 24/7 beginning January 23
- Bedford: SJC Warming Shelter, 7 p.m. – 6 a.m., 112 Center St.
- Appomattox: Appomattox Volunteer Fire Department, 719 Confederate Blvd.
- Nelson County: Lovingston Fire Department, 53 Baker Lane, and Nelson County Rescue Squad Station #1, 8301 Irish Road, Faber
- Staunton: Waynesboro Area Refuge Ministry opened an emergency low-barrier shelter on Saturday to accommodate unhoused individuals in the region. The shelter is set up at Central United Methodist Church in Staunton.
- Charlottesville: Clemons Library on University of Virginia Grounds will be open as a warming center this weekend for those seeking shelter from the forecasted winter weather.
If you or someone you know needs up-to-date shelter or warming center information, call 211.
1:30 p.m. Waynesboro reports primary roads are open
Waynesboro provided an update from its Public Works Department this afternoon. As of 1:30 p.m., it reported that primary roads are open and continue to be maintained. Secondary roads are partially open, according to the update.
Snow removal progress and roadway status updates are available online.
11 a.m. VDOT: ‘Do not drive’
The Virginia Department of Transportation reports that “do not drive” is the key message for drivers in the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands.
As of 11 a.m. Sunday, all roadways in the VDOT Staunton District are reported to be in moderate condition. This means snow and ice cover most of the road surface.
VDOT continues plowing and treating major roadways throughout the 11-county Staunton District. VDOT crews and contractors are working around the clock on rotating 12-hour shifts.
Plowing focuses first on interstates and most primary routes and may not reach all secondary roads and subdivisions for several days.
Extreme cold during and after the storm extends the time needed to complete plowing operations and may cause refreezing on roads previously plowed and treated.
Additional wintry precipitation is expected between now and early Monday.
11 a.m. Virginia State Police: 240 crashes, 16 with injuries
As of 11 a.m. Sunday morning, Virginia State Police has responded to 240 crashes, 16 of which had injuries, since the storm began in the state.
- Division 1 (Central Virginia and Richmond) – 56 crashes, one with injuries
- Division 2 (Northwest Virginia, Winchester and Harrisonburg) – 16 crashes, one with injuries
- Division 3 (Central Virginia, Western Virginia and Appomattox) – 25 crashes, three with injuries
- Division 4 (Southwest Virginia) – 34 crashes, one with injuries
- Division 5 (Hampton Roads) – 47 crashes, four with injuries
- Division 6 (Western Virginia and Roanoke) – 36 crashes, four with injuries
- Division 7 (Northern Virginia) – 26 crashes, two with injuries, one fatal crash (not storm related, occurred in Fairfax County Saturday evening)
11:15 a.m. Dominion reports 2,500+ customers in Virginia without power
Dominion Energy reports its support teams have been strategically positioned and are fully prepared to address power outages resulting from the storm.
More than 2,500 Dominion customers are currently without power in Virginia, according to an outage map.
The outages are reported in:
- Southeastern Virginia: 2,576 customers
- Richmond Metro/Tri-Cities: 29
- Shenandoah Valley/Western Piedmont: 17
- Middle Peninsula/Northern Neck: 9
- Northern Virginia: 2
To report an outage, call 1-866-DOM-HELP.
Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative is reporting one outage with 150 customers affected in the Winchester area.
SVEC customers may report an outage online.
In Nashville and other areas impacted by the storm, electric companies are warning customers they could be without power for days due to ice impacting power lines.
9:47 a.m. AccuWeather experts warn of worsening conditions
Ice accumulations of a quarter to a half inch or more have been reported from Texas to the Carolinas and Virginia, with more freezing rain expected through late Sunday night.
“This winter storm and the deep freeze behind it are a deadly combination. Highways are iced over and blanketed in deep snow,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham. “The response to emergencies and power outages has been slowed by dangerous conditions that could worsen as temperatures plummet after the storm.
“The freezing rain, ice and snow from this storm are bad enough. The coldest air so far this winter, surging in behind the storm, will make matters much worse in the hardest-hit communities.”
As of 9:30 a.m., more than 700,000 power outages have been reported along the path of the winter storm, spanning from New Mexico and Texas through the South into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
“People may be stuck at home for days without power and heat during the coldest weather we’ve seen so far this winter. Icy and snow-covered roads are making it very difficult for utility crews and emergency responders to respond to calls for help,” Buckingham said.
6:23 a.m. Virginia State Police: 177 crashes, 14 injuries statewide
As of 6 a.m. Sunday morning, Virginia State Police has responded to 177 crashes, 14 of which had injuries.
There has been one fatal crash which Virginia State Police is investigating in northern Virginia, but it does not appear to be weather related.
- Division 1 (Central Virginia/Richmond) – 38 crashes, One with injuries
- Division 2 (Northwest Virginia/Winchester/Harrisonburg) – Eight crashes, no injuries
- Division 3 (Central Virginia/Western Virginia/Appomattox) – 23 crashes, two with injuries
- Division 4 (Southwest Virginia) – 26 crashes, one with injuries
- Division 5 (Hampton Roads) – 29 crashes, four with injuries
- Division 6 (Western Virginia/Roanoke) – 31 crashes, four with injuries
- Division 7 (Northern Virginia) – 22 crashes, two with injuries, one fatal crash (occurred before precipitation began, according to an update from VSP)
4:30 a.m. VDOT Staunton District
At least four inches of snow have already fallen in much of the Shenandoah Valley and the Alleghany Highlands as of early Sunday morning.
Additional heavy snow and wintry mix are expected throughout the day and into early Monday morning.
Avoid all but emergency travel.
The Virginia Department of Transportation has been plowing and treating major roadways throughout the 11-county Staunton District since Saturday evening. VDOT crews and contractors are working around the clock on rotating 12-hour shifts.
Plowing focuses first on interstates and most primary routes and may not reach all secondary roads and subdivisions for several days.
Extreme cold during and after the storm extends the time needed to complete plowing operations and may cause refreezing on roads previously plowed and treated.
Here are the conditions as of 4:30 a.m. Sunday in the VDOT Staunton District:
- Interstate 81 – Moderate conditions in Rockbridge, Augusta, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Warren and Frederick counties.
- Interstate 64 – Moderate conditions in Alleghany, Rockbridge and Augusta counties.
- Interstate 66 – Moderate conditions in Warren County.
- Primary Roads – Moderate conditions in Alleghany, Bath, Rockbridge, Highland, Augusta, Rockingham, Page, Shenandoah, Frederick, Clarke and Warren counties.
- Secondary Roads – Moderate conditions in Alleghany, Bath, Rockbridge, Highland, Augusta, Rockingham, Page, Shenandoah, Frederick, Clarke and Warren counties.
For emergency road-condition updates and travel information visit 511 Virginia.
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Crystal Graham
