The snow, sleet, and freezing rain have come and gone. But the sub-freezing temperatures remain — and will be sticking around for at least a week, CBS 19 meteorologist Travis Koskho told Charlottesville Tomorrow Monday morning.
“I can keep this very brief and to the point,” he said. “It’s not going to be until this time next week when temperatures get above freezing during the day. It will be easier with sunnier skies to melt blacktop and paved surfaces, but, with six consecutive nights of single-digit lows expected, any melting that happens during the day is going to lead to a rapid and deep freeze of previously melted, or partially melted, objects.”
“To be even more brief,” he added, “this stuff ain’t going anywhere for a while.”
And while he’s no longer concerned about power outages caused by ice — most of the miniscule amount that accumulated on tree branches and power lines over the weekend has melted — there is a possibility for outages caused by stress on the power grid. As people crank up the thermostats in their homes to stay warm inside for so many days in a row, that places more demand on the power grid, which could lead to an outage.
Monday will be the warmest day of the week, Koskho said, so it’s the day to try to clear snow and sleet accumulations from sidewalks and roads. After that, it’s not likely to budge for at least a week.
“In most cases in this area, we get snow, and temperatures get reasonably warm enough to melt in the days following. This time around, that’s not the case,” he said.
For folks who need a place to get warm, municipalities throughout central Virginia have opened up warming centers. Information on warming center locations and hours is below.
But before heading out to a warming center — or anywhere else — it’s important to check if the roads are safe to travel.
The best way to check real-time road conditions is 511Virginia, said Alexis Mehretab, a Virginia Department of Transportation spokesperson. In addition to the website, there is a free VDOT 511 mobile app, and people can call 5-1-1 from any phone in Virginia to get that same information.
“With temperatures remaining below freezing, motorists should be aware that even roads that appear clear may still be slick, particularly overnight and during early morning hours,” Mehretab wrote in an email to Charlottesville Tomorrow Monday morning. She urged drivers to be cautious on bridges, shaded areas, mountain passes, and in higher elevations — all places where black ice forms more quickly than on other roads.
“If travel is not necessary, the safest decision is to stay off the roads,” Mehretab added. But if someone has to travel, they should drive slowly and more cautiously, leaving more space between their car and the one in front of them, and avoid both braking suddenly and taking sharp turns.
Community members seeking emergency shelter have a few different options, listed on the city website.
Charlottesville City
Herman Key Jr. Recreation Center
800 E. Market St., Charlottesville
(across the street from the Lucky Seven and Guadalajara)
10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Pets are welcome, however, they must be kept in a crate at all times while inside the facility.
Clemons Library at UVA
164 McCormick Road on UVA Central Grounds
10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Community members are welcome, this is not just for UVA students.
Albemarle County
Albemarle County had not opened any designated warming centers as of Monday afternoon.
Warming centers in Charlottesville are open to county residents, said Logan Bogert, a spokesperson for Albemarle County.
“We continue to monitor conditions for any necessary additional shelters in Albemarle County,” she added.
Nelson County
Lovingston Fire Department
53 Baker Ln., Lovingston
Open Jan. 26
Meals, cots, and blankets will not be provided.
Nelson County Rescue Squad Station #1
8207 Irish Rd., Faber
Open 24 hours a day every day, starting Jan. 26 and lasting as long as the extreme weather persists.
Food and drinks will be available. For more information, call Angie Miles at 434-263-3671.
Louisa County
There are no warming centers currently open in Louisa County and residents should stay inside and avoid travel, Cindy King, the community engagement and tourism manager told Charlottesville Tomorrow. However, if the county opens one, a notification will be sent out via the county’s alert system. Residents can sign up to receive those alerts, as well as weather and emergency updates, on their phones via CivicReady.
Louisa County’s Emergency Operations Center is currently closed but is monitoring the possible need for a shelter, according to its website. However, residents can still call 540-967-1234 to arrange emergency transportation if needed.
Greene County
As of Monday afternoon, Greene County had not opened any warming centers.
County officials have prepared one mass care shelter and two warming centers and plan to open them if there are power outages or requests to activate them, said Melissa Meador, the county’s director of emergency services and EMS chief. They are already supplied with water and snacks, and have staff on standby.
The prepared locations are:
Mass care shelter (once open, will be open 24 hours a day)
Ruckersville Elementary School
105 Progress Pl., Ruckersville
Warming center #1 (8 am to 8 pm)
Stanardsville Volunteer Fire Company
275 Celt Rd., Stanardsville
Warming center #2 (8 am to 8 pm)
Dyke Volunteer Fire Company
9144 Dyke Rd. Dyke
To request the shelter or a warming center to open, call 434-985-5232 or Melissa Meador’s cell at 434-906-9133.
Fluvanna County
Since there were no power outages, no warming centers were opened in Fluvanna County. According to the county’s website, the centers would be opened in the event of outages, with information posted on the website, through the Everbridge Emergency Alert System, FAN Mail, and the county’s social media accounts.
Culpeper County
Piedmont Warming Shelter
St. Luke Lutheran Church
1100 N. Main St., Culpeper
Open 24 hours a day
Call 540-317-0030 or email culpeperheatshelter@gmail.com with questions
Orange County
Orange Church of the Nazarene
159 W. Nelson St., Orange
Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (other times by appointment)
Call (540) 406-4065 or email pastorpam[at]orangevanaz[dot]org with questions or to request help outside of regular operating hours. Showers, laundry, hot coffee and a limited supply of food and toiletries are available on site.
Orange’s city offices, including the social services office, are closed until Jan. 28 due to inclement weather and were unavailable to answer Charlottesville Tomorrow’s inquiries. According to a comment on the Orange County government Facebook page, Orange County “is monitoring the event and is prepared to open warming shelters if needed.”
Anastasiia Carrier, Allie Pitchon, La Shawn Pagán, Jessie Higgins and Andra Landi contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: This article was updated on Jan. 27, 2026, to add additional information for Orange County.
