UPDATED AT 6 P.M.: The National Weather Service has updated its forecast. For Danville, the current forecast is for more of a rain event Tuesday. Precipitation is expected to start later (9 a.m. Tuesday) than the previous forecast. Air temperatures will be warmer at that time. Snow will fall from time to time, but expect little to no accumulation before ending after lunchtime.
Areas west and north of Danville will see more snowfall, with perhaps a dusting of snow.
ORIGINAL POST
The Public Works Department is pretreating main thoroughfares, bridges, and overpasses today because of a threat of snow and sleet that is currently forecast to begin in the city during the work commute hours on Tuesday morning.
The National Weather Service in Blacksburg reports that Danville is on the southern edge of a fast-moving storm system that likely will bring the winter season’s first accumulation of snow to many Virginia cities and counties located outside the western mountains.
“What we are seeing for the Danville area, starting around 7 or 8 o’clock in the morning, is a mixture of snow and sleet,” meteorologist Nick Fillo said Monday morning. “It is going to be light. By the time we get to around lunchtime, it will have warmed up enough to where this will start to change over to rain.”
An accumulation of one-half of an inch to an inch of snow and sleet is expected across the city. Areas west and north of Danville can expect snow and sleet to begin earlier and deliver higher amounts.
Fillo said the timing and track of the storm could change, which could bring greater or lesser amounts than currently forecast. He encouraged citizens to monitor forecast updates. The next update from the National Weather Service will be 4 p.m. today.
Any accumulation on the streets will dissipate quickly because of the changeover to rain and the temperatures, Fillo said. A high of near 40 degrees is forecast for Danville on Tuesday.
Public Works Director Rick Drazenovich said the decision to pretreat the major thoroughfares, bridges, and overpasses with brine is precautionary.
“We want to keep the major streets from becoming slick during the morning rush hour,” Drazenovich said.
Brine is a mixture of water and salt. The water in the brine evaporates, leaving the salt behind on the road. The salt breaks the bond between the snow and the roadway, and it, therefore, helps prevent the snow from freezing onto roads and bridges.
Residential streets are not pretreated.
Motorists are encouraged to slow down and proceed with caution during the morning commute, especially when traveling on bridges and overpasses and untreated streets.
