RICHMOND, Va. -- The Virginia Department of Transportation is cautioning motorists to prepare for winter weather overnight on Sunday and throughout the day Monday.
Officials say crews are on standby for the possibility of snow and a wintry mix in Central Virginia Monday. Shifts will begin at midnight and crews will begin monitoring conditions.
Since the storm will likely begin with rain, VDOT says they cannot pretreat the roads because the precipitation would just wash it away.
“Because this storm is starting out as a rain event, we're unable to pretreat. So, we're going to be watching the transition from the rain into the snow. That's when we'll be able to treat the roads,” said VDOT spokesperson Jessica Cowardin.
The biggest concern for the roadways in Central Virginia is Monday night into Tuesday morning, since temperatures will dip below freezing, roadways may refreeze.
VDOT says they expect patches of black ice on the roadways.
With that in mind, VDOT officials are cautioning drivers to be aware that the roads may become slippery over the next couple of day.
VDOT is also reminding motorists to:
- Allow extra time to reach their destinations
- Give snow plows the right of way
- Keep a safe distance from other vehicles
