SNOWSTORM UPDATE 5:45 P.M.: Roads Improve As Snow Tapers Off

Singers Glen Gets 20 Inches

Posted: March 6, 2013

JMU's Wilson Hall. (Photo by Nikki Fox/DN-R)
Snow continues falling in Purcell Park on Wednesday. (Photo by Nikki Fox/DN-R)
Dan Martonik of Harrisonburg playes with his 1-year-old husky-shepherd mix, Stabler, at Purcell Park. It is Stabler's first time in the snow. (Photo by Nikki Fox/DN-R)
HARRISONBURG — Snow continued pelting Virginia Wednesday, with more than a foot and a half of snow reported in the central Valley. Residents and the National Weather Service have reported at least a foot of snow, with up to 20 inches in Singers Glen.

Snow dropped off this afternoon with at most another inch accumulating the rest of the evening. Harrisonburg City Schools and Rockingham County Schools have canceled classes for Thursday, and other local school divisions are sure to follow suit.

City officials report that primary roads and major connectors are generally clear, though residential streets are in moderate condition. Primary roads in Rockingham County are in minor condition and secondary roads in the county were downgraded from severe to moderate this afternoon.

Primary roads in Shenandoah County were clear and Page County’s were in moderate condition as of this afternoon. Secondary roads in these counties were also in moderate condition.

Virginia Department of Transportation officials also reports that as of 4:30 p.m. that Interstate 81 is in clear condition in Rockingham and Shenandoah counties.

East Lee Street at the intersection of Park Avenue in Broadway was closed for a few hours Wednesday morning because of downed power lines, the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Emergency Communications Center said.

The state of emergency, declared by Gov. Bob McDonnell earlier today, will help state agencies identify and position resources for a quicker response where they are needed, his office said.

Power outages also plagued the region today. Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative, which serves parts of seven counties, including Rockingham, Shenandoah and Page, had about 15,000 members — about 6 percent — without electricity at the peak period around noon. As of 5:40 p.m. Dominion reported 4,659 outages in Rockingham County, 624 in Shenandoah County and 28 in Page County. Almost 17,000 of about 40,000 Dominion customers in Albemarle were without power as of this time.

Harrisonburg Electric Commission reported a total of about 200 customers without power throughout the morning. All HEC customers had power restored by 2 p.m., officials said.


Virginia State Police are advising residents to avoid using Va. 522 due to several downed trees and power lines across the route, especially near Independence Road and Unionville in Orange County.


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