Spring to bring more snow for Suffolk
Published 9:58 pm Tuesday, March 20, 2018
- Snow is in the forecast for Suffolk on the first full day of spring. (file photo)
The National Weather Service has forecast more rain and snow for Suffolk this week, just one day after the start of spring on Tuesday.
Wednesday rain is expected to transition to a wintry mix mid-morning, Jeff Orrock, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service Wakefield, said on Tuesday. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-30s throughout the day.
Orrock said snow accumulation should be much less than what Suffolk received last week, with about an inch in North Suffolk and half an inch on the grass elsewhere. Northwest winds should be about 15 miles per hour, with gusts up to 20.
“It should start to taper off around sunset as we start to get into about 8 o’clock or so,” he said.
Road conditions around mid-afternoon could be treacherous, as “big clumpy” flakes start to fall harder, he said.
“Just monitor the conditions throughout the day. If it gets to mid-afternoon and there’s a good burst of snow for an hour, then there could be slush covering the roads,” he said. “You could have this window where the roads get a little slippery tomorrow afternoon or early evening.”
City spokeswoman Diana Klink wrote in an email that personnel weren’t able to pretreat the roads on Tuesday because of rain, but trucks equipped with spreaders and plows are ready for the Wednesday weather.
“We have ample stores of salt, sand and plow blades on hand for whatever may come this way,” she wrote.
Virginia Department of Transportation crews spent Tuesday preparing for snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches in parts of the district, according to a press release.
Light accumulations are expected to begin in the Southside and Peninsula regions around noon and continue throughout the day. The Eastern Shore could see 1 to 3 inches of snow combined with wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour, the press release stated.
“While this snow event is not expected to be an exact repeat of last week’s ice and slush, VDOT is monitoring all corners of the district and is prepared with the necessary equipment, materials and staff to respond to any wintry mix,” the press release stated.