Update: Forecast still calls for up to 18 inches of snow

Updated 2:25 p.m.

Weather forecasts still call for the Lynchburg region to receive between 10 and 18 inches of heavy wet snow by the time the storm ends late Saturday.

The National Weather Service says snow, which will fall heavily at times, will continue today and tonight, possibly mixing with sleet and freezing rain this afternoon.

There will be additional snow Saturday, and travel conditions will remain dangerous through Saturday. A winter storm warning remains in effect until 10 p.m. Saturday.

Unofficial snow totals as of noon show that Forest has received 4.2 inches. As of 11 a.m., Concord had received two inches and as of 12:45 p.m., Pleasantview in Amherst County had received five inches, with sleet causing the snow to settle some.

Forecast maps on the National Weather Service Website predict that Lynchburg and the immediate surrounding areas could see as much as 15 inches of snow by the time the storm moves out tomorrow night. Maps also show that the city could see a light glaze of ice.

Temperatures remain just below freezing, and weather radar images show a dry slot is forming in far southwest Virginia and Tennessee.

As of 2 p.m., Lynchburg’s emergency communications center said there were numerous wrecks.

Most of those wrecks involved cars sliding into ditches rather than cars hitting each other, said Melissa Foster, deputy director of the communications center. The roads are wet and slushy, she said, but dispatchers are worried that conditions will deteriorate tonight as the temperature drops.

The Virginia State Police have responded to 261 traffic crashes statewide — including a crash in Wythe County that killed two men — and 240 disabled vehicles, said spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

State Police dispatch centers received 691 calls for service and 784 calls for information statewide.

As of 1 p.m. Friday, the Appomattox division of the state police had responded to 50 traffic crashes and 54 disabled vehicles. Most of the crashes involved damage to property and few injuries have been reported, Geller said.

Updated 1:55 p.m.

Delta has canceled its Lynchburg flights today and early tomorrow due to snow, said Mark Courtney, director of Lynchburg Regional Airport.

U.S. Airways' two flights this morning operated. Courtney said the airport also is expecting the airline's flight that arrives in Lynchburg after 2 p.m.

"We're still open. The runway's in fairly good shape overall, good enough for our aircraft to operate," Courtney said.

Delta's flights between Lynchburg and Atlanta use regional jets that land at a faster speed than U.S. Airways' planes. That was one factor in Delta's decision to cancel.

Both airlines are temporarily waiving the fees for rescheduling flights from Lynchburg Regional Airport, including flights that are not canceled due to the weather.

Passengers can check flight status at usairways.com and delta.com.

Updated 1 p.m.

Greater Lynchburg Transit Company buses are reducing service this afternoon and stopping routes at 6 p.m. today.

GLTC director Mike Carroll said the decision was made early this morning.

GLTC buses now are switching to snow routes.

"Most of the routes will be off of the residential streets. We'll be sticking to the primary roads here in the city," Carroll said.

GLTC routes normally operate until about 10 p.m.

Carroll said it is likely that buses will not operate tomorrow, but officials will decide that tonight.

--Bryan Gentry

Updated 9:50 a.m.

Lynchburg Public Works crews have treated primary and secondary roads and are starting to plow, the city said this morning.

However, crews will only plow residential streets once primary and secondary roads are clear and the snow stops, the city said.

Trash pickup will proceed as normal today. The Lynchburg Public Library will close at noon, and its AARP Tax Assistance program is canceled.

Greater Lynchburg Transit Co. bus lines will run today but will stop at 6 p.m. The last connection is scheduled to leave the Plaza shopping center at 5:45 p.m.

Point of Honor and the Lynchburg Museum are closed today and tomorrow.

Updated 9:30 a.m.

Virginia State Police are currently working about eight wrecks in the Lynchburg area, but most only involve damage to property.

A crash with injuries was reported on Leesville Road after a car went over an embankment around 6:30 a.m, police said. On Gladys Road in Campbell County, a vehicle is reportedly on its side, but no one was injured. A two vehicle crash on Virginia 655 resulted in no injuries.

Virginia Police Spokeswoman Corinne Geller said drivers should heed official warnings, stay off the roads and consider postponing weekend travel plans.

"We also want to remind people that 911 and its cellular equivalent of #77 is to be used for emergencies only," Geller said. "It should not be used to check road conditions, report power outages or call a tow truck to get your car out of the driveway. We want to keep these emergency lines open for people in immediate need of help."

A vehicle lost control and went airborne and landed on its roof around 8 a.m. on U.S. 29 South between Candlers Mountain Road and Odd Fellows Road, said Officer R. Flynn of the Lynchburg Police Department. The driver was not injured.

"Stay off the roadways unless it is an absolute emergency," Flynn said. "The weather conditions are worsening out here. If there is no need to be out in this stuff, stay home."

In Nelson County, there have been no major incidents or wrecks reported as of 9 a.m., but road conditions are expected to deteriorate later in the day, said Nelson County’s emergency services deputy coordinator, Jaime Miller.

“This will be mainly be a snow event for our area, not much mixing with ice or sleet,” Miller said.

Some of the ridgelines could see as much as 30 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

--Carrie J. Sidener & Erin McGrath

Updated 7 a.m.

The Virginia Department of Transportation is urging motorists to delay driving this morning if they can, and it seems Central Virginia residents may be doing just that.

Snow continues to fall this morning after starting overnight, and the Lynchburg area could see up to 18 inches by Saturday night. Although crews are working to treat roads, many will still be icy, VDOT warns.

"Fortunately," said Capt. Al Thomas of the Lynchburg Police Department, "the snow started before most people travel to work and has kept vehicle traffic to a minimum."

Campbell County authorities have responded to a few calls for cars stuck in ditches along the roadways, but Capt. Cindy Caldwell said difficulties on the snow covered roadways have been minimal. Caldwell said all Campbell County deputies are patrolling in four-wheel drive vehicles that are able to handle the snowy conditions.

--Matt Busse & Carrie J. Sidener

Earlier:

For the third time in as many months, Lynchburg is forecast to receive double digits of snow accumulation in a less than two-day period.

The National Weather Service in Blacksburg issued a winter storm warning that included Lynchburg and Amherst, Campbell, Appomattox and Bedford counties, calling for snowfall totals between 10 and 18 inches.

Numbers from the National Weather Service totaled 24.9 inches of snow so far this winter. This storm could catapult the 2009-2010 winter into the record books among the 10 snowiest winters in city history.

According to the National Weather Service, the snowiest winter to hit the city brought 56.8 inches of snow in 1995-96.

The winter of 1959-60, when Lynchburg received 45.2 inches of snow, stands as the second snowiest winter recorded. The 10th-highest winter snow total was 33 inches of snow in the 1979-1980 winter.

For crews on the roads, the situation, though aggravating, is becoming familiar.

VDOT spokeswoman Paula Jones said transportation crews were still in the process of clearing the remnants of the last snowfall.

“There’s something to be said about familiarity and experience,” she said, noting employees had gotten plenty of that over the last two months.

“The guys and gals that have been working have been on these 12-hour shifts for a while and are somewhat acclimated to them,” she said.

Nelson County emergency services officials are preparing for the worst.

Previous storms this season, in which dozens of motorists were trapped on U.S. 29 in Nelson County, have taught the emergency services crews how to prepare and how to deal with the situations that arise, emergency services coordinator Ray Uttaro said.

“We are very much prepared for this,” Uttaro said. “We’ve become a little bit more knowledgeable on how to handle some of this.

Lynchburg Public Works Director Dave Owen said the city had exhausted about half of its salt spreading supply, and just received some replenishment.

“We should have more than enough for this storm,” he said.

City leaders still don’t have the final calculations on the cost of snow removal related to last Saturday’s storm. The city has been tapping a snow removal reserve fund since it exhausted its allocated money on the removal of December’s snow.

Owen said city workers would report to work at 4 a.m. today to wait for the snow to start falling.

Some business officials said their offices would stay open during the weather, but that some employees would be given the option of working from home.

Denise Woernle, of Areva, said the company’s offices are usually open during inclement weather, but their policy is to let employees judge whether they can make it to work. Employees can make arrangements to work from home, she said.

Jud Simmons, of B&W, said the company’s facility doesn’t close because of weather, and that employees are encouraged to come to work if possible.

“Because of the nature of our work, very few people can work from home,” Simmons said, noting employees are only required to come to work if they can do so safely.

GLTC General Manager Mike Carroll said the amount of snow would dictate which bus routes the company would be able to provide.

“If we have to cancel service once service starts, we’ll do our best to get the word out and try to stay out as long as we can,” Carroll said.

Centra officials said the hospital system has a contingency plan to take care of their patients even in the inevitable absence of some staff.

“Historically our employees make every effort to come in to work,” said Human Resources Director Lauralyn Martin, adding, “of course this type of weather forecast causes concerns to any employer.”

--Dave Thompson. Erin McGrath of the Nelson County Times contributed.