Tuesday, Feb. 16, 6:30 a.m.:

Rain continues to fall in Charlotte County, which doesn’t help the already icy roads.

According to weather watcher Jenny Davis, Charlotte Court House is still pretty hazardous for drivers as there appears to be sheets of ice on roadways.

“Heavy rain, ice and slush, in addition to snow-covered secondary roads have created more travel troubles this morning and motorists are urged to delay travel in the 10-county Lynchburg District of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT),” said a release from VDOT. Charlotte County is in the Lynchburg District.

“The combination of slush and heavy rain has resulted in the ponding of water on roads and the rain is falling so hard at times that visibility can become difficult. In addition, VDOT crews are dealing with a number of trees brought down by the accumulation of ice.”

The National Weather Service warns drivers of temperatures only rising over freezing after 12 p.m.

“Crews are continuing to work 12-hour shifts to address roadway conditions. However, VDOT’s recommendation to motorists is to delay travel, if at all possible this morning,” said the VDOT release.

The Charlotte Gazette will open at 10:30 a.m. due to weather conditions.

 

Monday, Feb. 15, 8 p.m.:

Freezing rain has started in Charlotte County and will continue into the night, according to the National Weather Service.

Weather watcher Jenny Davis, of Charlotte Court House, confirms that the freezing rain has been going on for about an hour and a half.

Charlotte County Public Schools will be closed tomorrow. However, Charlotte County Administration offices will open at 10 a.m.

As of 3:30 p.m., Virginia State Police were on the scene of 37 crashes across the state and 9 disabled vehicles.

According to state police, roadway conditions continue to be hazardous and are expected to become treacherous as temperatures began to drop throughout the evening and overnight.

There have been a total of 46 traffic crashes and 29 disabled vehicles in Division 3, which includes the counties of Charlotte, Prince Edward, Lunenburg, Buckingham and Cumberland

 

Monday, Feb. 15, 5 p.m.:

Charlotte County Public Schools have announced that all schools will be closed Tuesday due to the snowy weather.

Precipitation has stayed at a halt up until the 4 o’clock hour when a burst of freezing rain came down for short amount of time. The freezing rain has now stopped, according to weather watcher Jenny Davis, of Charlotte Court House.

There have still been no outages reported in Charlotte County.

Stay with the Gazette for more updates on Winter Storm Olympia.

 

 

Monday, Feb. 15, 2 p.m.:

No outages have been reported in Charlotte County at this point.

VDOT is still urging drivers to stay indoors and not attempt driving on the road while they work on cleaning them.

According to weather watcher Jenny Davis, of Charlotte Court House, Route 47 is clear and no precipitation is coming down at the moment.

Charlotte County Public Schools have not yet been canceled for Tuesday.

Stay with the Gazette for more updates on Winter Storm Olympia.

 

Monday, Feb. 15, 12 p.m.:

Although the snow stopped two-and-a-half hours ago, sleet has begun to fall in Charlotte County, which already had 3.5 inches of snow on Monday morning.

Weather watcher Jenny Davis reports four inches of precipitation in Charlotte Court House.

Main roads, such as routes 40 and 47, have been plowed, however, are still covered in snow and sleet.

Winter Storm Olympia continues to keep the Virginia State Police busy across the state due to treacherous road conditions.

As of this morning at around 8:30 a.m., Virginia State Police were on the scene of approximately 62 traffic crashes across the state.  Approximately 19 disabled vehicles were responded to at this time, according to state police.

Division 3, which includes the counties of Charlotte, Prince Edward, Lunenburg, Buckingham and Cumberland responded to 13 traffic crashes across the area.

As always, the Virginia State Police said if travel is necessary, follow safety precautions such as removing all ice from the vehicle, adding extra travel time and reducing speed to help ensure the safety of yourself and other drivers on the roadways.

 

Stay with the Gazette for more updates on Winter Storm Olympia.

 

Monday, Feb. 15, 6:30 a.m.:

Roads are covered with snow brought in by Winter Storm Olympia all over Charlotte County. Fortunately, schools were already closed today in honor of President’s Day.

Weather watcher Jenny Davis reports three inches of snow in Charlotte Court House.

All Southside Virginia Community College locations are also closed today.

“Roads throughout much of south-central Virginia are snow covered this morning, with patches of snow or ice in the most southern counties,” stated a release from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

“VDOT crews have been working throughout the night on main roadways and will continue to do so as more snow and freezing rain are expected.”

Routes 40, 47 and 59 are still covered in snow, even after being pushed. There is no sign of the snow stopping soon.

“Drivers are encouraged to avoid travel if at all possible until the winter weather stops and snow plow operators can make more progress on roads,” stated the VDOT release.

The National Weather Service’s (NWS) winter storm warning for Charlotte County will remain in effect until noon Tuesday. The NWS predicts 1-3 inches of snow and up to two tenths of an inch of ice at this point.

“Snowfall will be moderate to heavy at times through 7:30 a.m. Snowfall rates of up to 1-2 inches per hour will occur in heavier bands, with another 1-3 inches of snow expected through mid-morning,” according to the NWS.

The NWS also encourages drivers to stay off the roads today, and says winds can pick up to 5-10 miles per hour.

Stay with the Gazette for updates on the winter storm.

 

Sunday, Feb. 14:

The National Weather Service (NWS)  issued a winter storm watch yesterday evening for Charlotte County from late Sunday night through Monday evening. They now are predicting the storm will continue into Tuesday morning, and have canceled the winter storm watch by replacing it with a winter storm warning.

According to the NWS, Charlotte County should prepare for possibly 2-5 inches of snow and up to one tenth of an inch of ice. Temperatures are reported to rise into the 20s and lower 30s this afternoon, stay in the mid-20s to lower 30s on Monday and rise into the mid- and upper-30s by Tuesday.

The wind chill advisory has been canceled for the area.

“A bitter cold arctic air mass had settled over the region early this morning. Meanwhile, a series of strong upper-level disturbances will track toward the region from the west tonight,” stated the NWS. “… Monday bringing a variety of winter precipitation to the region. Look for mostly snow tonight and early Monday, then a wintry mix Monday afternoon and Monday night as warmer air begins to spread into the region from the south. Significant accumulations of winter precipitation are likely.”

The NWS encourages drivers to only travel in an emergency, and if you have to travel carry a flashlight, food, water and a blanket in your vehicle in case of an emergency.

Charlotte County Public Schools will be closed tomorrow for President’s Day.

Stay with the Gazette for updates on the winter storm.