Winter Storm Spares Rockingham
Full Brunt Of Weather Comes To Local Doorstep, But No Farther
Posted: January 18, 2013
RICHMOND — A storm that affected much of the mid-Atlantic and dumped up to a foot of snow in parts of southwestern Virginia on Thursday stopped just short of Rockingham County.
Meanwhile, thousands of customers in the commonwealth were without power.
Appalachian Power said the heavy, wet snow contributed to outages for at least 71,000 customers Thursday night in southwestern Virginia, while Dominion Virginia Power reported at least 2,500 customers were without power.
Thursday night, the National Weather Service said a foot of snow was possible in the highest elevations of southwestern Virginia, while snowfall in the Blue Ridge Mountains was forecast to range from 5 to 10 inches.
Less than an hour south of Rockingham County, the Charlottesville area was expected to receive 6 inches in a band of snow showers running from Martinsville north.
On Wednesday night, the weather service issued a winter weather watch for Harrisonburg, Rockingham County and much of the central Valley, forecasting up to 6 inches of snow for the area.
By 2 p.m. Thursday, the watch had been downgraded to an advisory lasting until 11:20 p.m. for the city and county. The snowfall prediction was lowered to no more than an inch or two.
As the chance of severe weather lessened in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, counties just to the south — Augusta, Albemarle, Nelson and Highland — were placed under a winter storm warning as the snow made its way toward the Valley from the west and south.
As of 8 p.m. Thursday, the precipitation had stayed to the south of the Harrisonburg area, said Heather Sheffield, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, adding that dry air resulted in dry land.
“Precipitation is drying up before it hits the ground,” she said.
The storm was still skirting through central Virginia, Sheffield said, and was expected to move toward southern Maryland during the night.
Meanwhile, thousands of customers in the commonwealth were without power.
Appalachian Power said the heavy, wet snow contributed to outages for at least 71,000 customers Thursday night in southwestern Virginia, while Dominion Virginia Power reported at least 2,500 customers were without power.
Thursday night, the National Weather Service said a foot of snow was possible in the highest elevations of southwestern Virginia, while snowfall in the Blue Ridge Mountains was forecast to range from 5 to 10 inches.
Less than an hour south of Rockingham County, the Charlottesville area was expected to receive 6 inches in a band of snow showers running from Martinsville north.
On Wednesday night, the weather service issued a winter weather watch for Harrisonburg, Rockingham County and much of the central Valley, forecasting up to 6 inches of snow for the area.
By 2 p.m. Thursday, the watch had been downgraded to an advisory lasting until 11:20 p.m. for the city and county. The snowfall prediction was lowered to no more than an inch or two.
As the chance of severe weather lessened in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, counties just to the south — Augusta, Albemarle, Nelson and Highland — were placed under a winter storm warning as the snow made its way toward the Valley from the west and south.
As of 8 p.m. Thursday, the precipitation had stayed to the south of the Harrisonburg area, said Heather Sheffield, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, adding that dry air resulted in dry land.
“Precipitation is drying up before it hits the ground,” she said.
The storm was still skirting through central Virginia, Sheffield said, and was expected to move toward southern Maryland during the night.