Power outages were mounting rapidly across Southwest, Southside, and Central Virginia on Monday morning as freezing rain coated trees and power lines, bringing down limbs and causing widespread disruptions.
As of 8:30 AM, approximately 63,000 utility customers were without power, according to data from poweroutage.us, with the most significant outages occurring along and south of the U.S. 460 corridor, which stretches from the southwest corner of the state to Richmond.
Franklin County was hit hardest, with over 10,000 residents without power. Other heavily affected areas include Campbell County, which reported nearly 7,000 outages, Bedford County with over 5,000, and Montgomery County with almost 4,000. Tazewell County in Southwest Virginia and Buckingham County in Central Virginia each reported over 2,000 outages, while Amherst County north of Lynchburg saw nearly 2,000 homes without power.
The outages were caused by icy coatings from freezing rain that caused tree limbs and power lines to sag, creating hazardous conditions across much of the region.
By 8:30 AM, the main precipitation band had crossed Virginia, bringing a mix of snow in the north, rain in the southern parts of the state, and wintry weather in between. Snowfall amounts of up to 8 inches were recorded in Northern Virginia, with 2 to 5 inches of snow and sleet common across the state. Additionally, ice accumulation from freezing rain ranged from ¼ to ½ inch, adding to the burden on trees and power infrastructure.
The storm, which had already impacted a wide swath of the country, left more than 300,000 people without power in states from Missouri to Virginia.
As the storm system moved eastward, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes also impacted parts of the South, further complicating recovery efforts.
Residents across Virginia woke up to a thick layer of snow, sleet, and glaze ice covering yards and neighborhood streets.
With cold temperatures expected to persist throughout the week and brief rises above freezing, melting will be slow, further complicating cleanup efforts. Most of the southern half of Virginia is expected to rise above freezing later today, but an Arctic cold front is forecast to bring windy and much colder conditions tonight through the middle of the week.
Lows in the single digits and teens are possible by Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
Wind gusts over 30 mph are expected, which could cause additional damage to trees and power lines already weighed down by ice.
Although the main band of precipitation is expected to exit Virginia later today, light and patchy snow showers will continue, with minor additional accumulations expected.
Authorities are urging residents to stay indoors if possible and avoid travel due to dangerous road conditions and the risk of falling tree limbs.
Crews are working around the clock to restore power, but officials warn that outages may persist for several days in some areas.
Looking ahead, another potential winter storm is being monitored for Friday and Saturday, though details remain uncertain.
Local authorities continue to encourage residents to prepare for continued winter weather and potential disruptions in the days.