Cindy Clayton
Steve Stone
The Virginian-Pilot
©
Some motorists saw snowflakes in their headlights this morning while transportation authorities put out warnings about ice that was reported at tunnels and on bridges.
School divisions in Hampton Roads and northeast North Carolina opened late today because of overnight snow and low temperatures that created icy road conditions, officials said.
Chesapeake, Norfolk and Virginia Beach schools opened on a two-hour delay, officials said. Chesapeake and Virginia Beach canceled morning kindergarten.
In North Carolina, Currituck County and Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools also were delayed two hours. Schools in Camden County Schools opened two hours late because of icy conditions and smoke from smoldering wildfires.
Schools in Accomack County are closed today, according to authorities there.
Early today, the National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for all of Hampton Roads and northeast North Carolina.
Crews from the Virginia Department of Transportation went to work spreading abrasives on any roads that threatened to ice over.
A weak coastal low pressure system that was headed northeast off shore and, as it passed, its circulation pulled increasingly colder air over the region, amplifying the work already done earlier yesterday with the passage of a cold front.
The front brought an abrupt end to a spring like day with temperatures in the upper 60s yesterday. Folks outside could feel the front's arrival. In Chesapeake, for instance, a breeze kicked up just before 3 p.m. and the mercury dropped 12 degrees in a matter of minutes, and it kept falling steadily after that.
By 3 a.m. today, it was 32 at the Weather Service data station at Norfolk International Airport. And radar showed the line between rain and mixed wintry precipitation, which moved steadily eastward all evening, had made it to the coast. Snow flurries were being reported throughout the area.
Here is the Hampton Roads forecast from the Weather Service:
Today: Partly sunny with a chance of rain and snow in the morning, then sunny this afternoon. It will remain breezy and much cooler with a high in the mid 40s and northwest winds at 15 to 20 mph. The chance of precipitation is 40 percent.
Tonight: Clear with a low in the mid 30s and southwest winds around 5 mph, becoming southerly at 10 to 15 mph after midnight.
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Ewestoff, the only
thing that is pathetic is you. What is 2 hours in a week, month or a year. How much time does the tidewater area really lose to snow and ice delays in the big picture. To the post about the driver on Ferrel Parkway. It was still closed at 10:00AM when I went by in the North bound lane.
School Delays
It is so sad that it would actually have to take the death of someone's child in order for some people to understand that it is better to be safe and late rather than quick and dead. While one particular area may have had clear roads does not mean that other roads in other areas were clear as well.
to ewesthoff re: school closings
when the schools didnt close last month on jan. 22 a man was killed on Ferrell Parkway and the Kellam baseball coach was paralyzed from the waist down both because of losing control of their cars on ice and crashing. be a little less eccentric and more thoughtful. All of the parents who have to stay home with their kids, would much rather have their kids safe and be at home with them, than them being on the roads in buses that are huge hazards. be realistic man!
better safe than sorry
I don't know about conditions anywhere else but after Virginia Beach did NOT delay schools on Jan 22 and my son sat on a school bus in traffic for 3 hours watching accidents occur all around the bus instead of being at school taking exams, I was glad to see them err on the side of caution this time.
Instead of complaining because of having to use an hour or two of personal time be thankful the children are safely off the roads this time!
short answer
The VB, SUF and CHES school systems have many bus routes located on backwoods roads with steep ditches on both sides. These roads can easily become slippery when bad weather hits. The school systems made a wise decision in delaying school until the roads had a chance to thaw out. And yes, they were slippery in the pre-dawn hours as the air temperature was below 32 degrees.
Are you kidding me?
Did someone at some point die because they didn't close the schools down? The roads were not slick, there was not even any snow on the roads, so why in the world would you shut down the local area? Every business with employees with school age children must now take time off from work to sit home and wait for the schools to open. This is pathetic.