Forecast eased but risks remain for Richmond drivers
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Richmond seemed to be spared much of the worst of the freezing rain and ice accumulation forecasted to cover the region on Sunday.
Why it matters: Had the forecast held, the region was likely to see widespread and lengthy power outages, officials said last week.
State of play: The region continues to be under a winter storm watch, per the National Weather Service in Wakefield, in effect until 7pm, and Virginia is still under a state of emergency, per Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
- Drivers are advised to continue to stay off the roads until at least mid-morning due to the potential of black ice, VDOT said.
- Virginia State Police said they'd responded to nearly 400 accidents, including 86 in the Richmond area, since the storm began, as of Sunday night.
- All Richmond area schools closed for Monday.
And at the Richmond airport, nearly all — 140 of 144 — scheduled flights for Sunday were cancelled with 37 already canceled for Monday, per Richmond International Airport.
Zoom in: Power outages were minimal as of Sunday night, according to Dominion Energy's outage map, but lingering ice accumulation on trees and power lines are still a threat.
- Locals can report outages and check for updates on Dominion's website or by calling 866-DOM-HELP.
Zoom out: What started as a forecast for heavy snow early last week changed to one called for "dangerous to devastating ice" to progressively decreasing accumulation totals, per the NWS.
- As of Sunday night, around 2.5 inches of snow and minimal ice were recorded in Richmond, per NWS.
The bottom line: It could've been a lot worse.