Nor'easter snowstorm expected this weekend

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Except for the Library of Congress Packard Campus Theater, no other local organizations had advised the Star-Exponent of weather contingency plans as of Thursday evening. Look for additional weather-related closings and updates on starexponent.com.
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UPDATED at 11:45 a.m.

The Culpeper region could be in for a ‘classic nor’easter’ snowstorm this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

As of 11:45 this morning, the National Weather Service predicted the snow will begin tonight around 9 p.m., accumulating 4-6 inches. On Saturday, the snow is expected to continue, with additional snowfall of 10 inches possible. Temeperature are expected to remain at or below freezing through Sunday night.

“There is a potential for five inches of snow accumulation. At this time, it looks like it will begin Friday evening and will continue through late Saturday night,” said weather service meteorologist Calvin Meadows on Thursday. “Winds will be a little gusty through the event, gusting up to 25 mph.”

Weather Web site accuweather.com posted an even more severe forecast early Thursday afternoon, predicting up to 9.1 inches for Culpeper on Friday and Saturday.

A winter storm watch posted around 2 p.m. on the National Weather Service’s Web site Thursday includes Culpeper and all surrounding counties, along with the cities of Charlottesville, Staunton,
Waynesboro and Harrisonburg. A winter storm watch means there is a potential for significant snow that may affect travel.

Meadows said temperatures this weekend are expected to remain in the lower 30s. “We’ve got cold air in the area, so anything that falls will probably be snow,” he said. If the storm tracks to the east, Meadows said there will less snowfall; if it tracks to the west, there could be more.

“If it tracks really west, it’ll be a rain and snow mixture. At this point it looks like the tracking is going to be just off of Cape Hatteras and moving northeast,” he said.

Today, a slight chance of snow is forecast after 4 p.m., with snow expected to become steady around 7 p.m., continuing overnight and into Saturday. On Sunday, expect mostly cloudy skies with highs near 34. Sunday night, look for partly cloudy skies with lows around 23.

Earlier this month, the area’s first snowstorm, which also hit on a Saturday, seemed to catch many drivers unaware. The result was dozens of minor accidents and at least one deadly wreck on Culpeper’s roads.

A few days later, after a warm-up melted the leftover ice and snow, flooding became a problem, prompting officials to close the public schools for a day.

Officials with the Library of Congress Packard Campus Theater told the Star-Exponent that if in-clement weather occurs, this weekend’s planned movies will be cancelled. Call the facility’s reservation line at 827-1079 x79994 to check the show status.

The Virginia Department of Transportation urges motorists to use caution when driving in wintry weather. Real time road condition and closure information is available by calling 511 from any landline or cell phone or at 511virginia.org.