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In news that will surprise no one who has visited a grocery store this week, a major winter snowstorm is on the way.
And, yes, meteorologists say that is precisely what is coming.
Temperatures will drop into the teens overnight Friday, and aren’t expected to rise above freezing for at least a week. That cold temperature means that whatever snow accumulates won’t melt away quickly. It’s hard to say how much that will be; predictions vary between 6-13 inches.
“The snow will start to fall Saturday evening, the earliest will be late afternoon Saturday, and continue overnight,” said Jeremy Geiger, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Virginia. “It will probably change to a wintery mix Sunday morning.”
That wintery mix will layer ice on top of the snow.
Emergency responders prepare for severe weather and warn that response times will be slower
That means next week will bring downright dangerous conditions, local emergency responders told Health and Safety Reporter Anastasiia Carrier on Friday.
“The temperatures we’re going to experience are no joke,” said Chief Daniel Paxton of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad. “Hypothermia is a very, very real risk in a very short amount of time.”
This will be especially dangerous for our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Paxton encouraged anyone without housing to seek warmth in one of the area’s shelters. In Charlottesville, The Haven Day Shelter is open during the day. The Salvation Army and PACEM operate shelters overnight. (View a list of emergency housing resources in Charlottesville and Albemarle County in our Housing Resources Guide).
Also, the City of Charlottesville announced Friday that Clemons Library at the University of Virginia will be available this weekend as a warming center. You can read more details in the news release.
But that’s not the only thing local emergency responders are preparing for.
Across central Virginia, power companies expect outages to be widespread. Not only will power lines and the surrounding trees have the snow to contend with, but because this area will see sleet and freezing rain, heavy ice will pile on top.
“If you add a bit of ice, and it doesn’t take a lot, like a quarter of an inch, it can be enough to knock out power,” Craig Carper, a Dominion Energy spokesperson, told ABC8 News.
From ABC8 News: Dominion Energy prepares for possible widespread power outages amid winter storm
Power outages mean more folks will use fuel-burning appliances, said Charlottesville Fire Department Battalion Chief Lee James. That means we’ll see more fires and incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Road conditions, especially as the wintery mix begins, will be bad. And both local emergency responders and UVA Medical Center are preparing for an increase in car wrecks.
“We will be ready, as we always are,” Doctor William Brady, a UVA emergency doctor, told 29 News on Wednesday.
He added that the hospital frequently sees “way more patients in the day or two after a storm.”
From 29 News: UVA Hospital prepares for winter storm surge as flu pushes emergency department to capacity
Aside from car crashes, the most common causes of snow-related injuries are falls and cardiac events.
What causes the increase in cardiac events? Often, it’s shoveling snow.
Our newsroom passed around this article from the Washington Post this week, surprised at just how dangerous the seemingly normal activity is. According to doctors who spoke with the Post, the combination of heavy exertion using the upper body and blood vessel-constricting cold weather puts added pressure on the heart.
It’s most dangerous to people with existing cardiovascular problems or other health issues. So, if you or a loved one falls in that category, take extra care while shoveling, or consider asking someone else to do the chore for you.
From Washington Post: Can shoveling snow give you a heart attack?
So take extra caution this week, everyone! As Chief Paxton told Ana, stock up on food and water, and have a plan for what you might do should you lose power.
“Hopefully, you have relationships with your neighbors, so that you can rely on one another,” he said.
To borrow Managing Editor Akash Sinha’s signoff (it feels even more appropriate today):
Stay safe and take care of each other,
Jessie Higgins, Democracy Editor
P.S. If you’re new to the area, and hail from colder climes, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Well, central Virginia does not experience winter storms like this frequently enough to have the infrastructure to handle it well. Want to learn more? Our Neighborhoods Reporter Erin O’Hare — a Boston native — explored this very topic a few years back. If you’re curious, it’s a fascinating read.
