Wednesday’s snow storm in the Shenandoah Valley began shortly before noon after sleet and freezing rain had iced trees and grassy areas earlier in the day. Snow fell fast and heavy at a rate of one- to-two inches an hour as highway crews tried to keep roadways cleared and interstates open. The Waynesboro News Virginian described it as “a blast of rain and snow [that] created the dreaded “wintry mix.”
In Augusta County, 10 inches of snow covered the ground by early evening amid reports of electrical outages caused by sagging tree limbs weighted down by the heavy, wet precipitation. Wrecks on I-81 and I-64 as well as secondary roads kept emergency personnel busy while some businesses closed early and a number of meetings and activities were cancelled for the evening. Some companies remained closed Thursday or had delayed openings.
