Storm warning issued in changing forecast

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PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. - It’s light, fluffy, falling fast and causing accidents all over the roads in Prince William County.

The storm forecast quickly changed Saturday morning, and a winter storm warning was issued until 4 a.m. Sunday as the one to three inches of snow forecast to fall in Prince William quickly became a predicted six to eight to inches, according to state officials and the National Weather Service.

The snowfall kicked into high gear after 9 a.m. and quickly covered roads and sidewalks in Woodbridge, caused drivers to spinout on Interstate 95 and forced the county’s fire and rescue department to scale back operations, only sending an ambulance to the scene of a car crash if someone was injured.

Because of the changing forecast, the Virginia Department of Transportation increased the number of plows it planned to have on the roads Saturday from 1,200 to 1,800. Drivers spent most of yesterday pre-treating roads, ramps and highways in advance of the storm.

“Clearly it is slick out there and motorists need to slow down,” said VDOT spokeswoman Joan Morris.

Transit buses were still operating in eastern Prince William County, slowly, as OmniLink officials put their Emergency Snow Plan into effect on Saturday, rerouting some buses from their normal routes and cancelling all off-route trips.

Amtrak riders weren’t as lucky, as the rail agency told riders it would terminate its Northeast Regional train at Washington and told passengers bound for Lynchburg to board the Crescent train. Many Amtrak stops in North Carolina were not served Saturday due to the heavy snow and ice reported there.

The heaviest snow was forecasted to fall in southern and central Virginia, where forecasters said places like Fredericksburg and Richmond could pick up nearly a foot of snow, if not more. Conditions on many of the interstates in those areas were listed as moderate to severe Saturday morning.

Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell issued a state of emergency before the storm hit, activating National Guard troops throughout the commonwealth. VDOT urged drivers not to venture out onto the roads unless travel as absolutely necessary.

Three to six inches of snow was forecasted to fall Saturday night, with much of the heaviest snow falling during the afternoon and evening hours, according to the National Weather Service.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.