COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. — A winter weather mix brought snow and sleet to the Tri-Cities and Southern Chesterfield County early Tuesday morning, creating picturesque scenes and winter challenges.
Lady Justice in Old Towne Petersburg saw snowflakes starting to fall around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Haden Crowder, working to spread rock salt on the sidewalks, noticed the heavy snowflakes.
“It’s some of the biggest show flakes I’ve seen in a long time," Crowder said.
Crowder's task was to spread the salt before the snow turned to ice. The heavy snowfall already this year depleted Crowder’s salt supplies.
“Beginning of the year, we bought a whole pallet of salt and this is our last couple go bags we got," he said.
In Southern Chesterfield County, the snowfall was a delight for Steven Douglass’ three dogs.
“Nothing more than playtime, this is a great time for them, they love playing in the snow," he said.
For the Virginia Department of Transportation, winter weather is serious business. VDOT was prepared for the snow and ready to dispatch snow plows where needed. CBS 6 cameras spotted seven snow plows at the I-95/I-85 split, loaded with salt and sand and ready to head out.
As the morning continued, the snow turned to sleet, which halted efforts by Petersburg Public Works to spread salt and sand because it would just wash away.
“When the temperature drops, we’ll be back out putting salt and sand on the bridges and the overpasses, places that generally get really slick, and coating them that way," said Jerry Byerly, Director of Petersburg Public Works.
Watch: Winter storm preparations underway for Central Virginia roads: 'Plan to not travel tomorrow'
Despite the sleet, the Amtrak station in Ettrick remained open, and the Amtrak Floridian train was running on time without delays due to the weather.
In addition to snow plows, CBS 6 cameras also found a rollback and heavy wrecker on standby to help quickly clear the interstate of any accidents, as well as a tree company ready to remove any fallen trees from roadways.
VDOT is advising drivers to stay off the roads as more snow and sleet are expected, making driving conditions more dangerous due to ice.
Did you take photos of the snow in Virginia today? Email your photos to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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