Ice hits Highlands By AMANDA ISLEY and James Jacenich • Staff Writers
MONTEREY and WARM SPRINGS - Gov. Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency Tuesday as the National Weather Service forecast between one-quarter to one-half inch of sleet and ice in the northern part of Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley.
Thick ice hugged trees, power lines, and froze on the roads Tuesday night, but according to law enforcement and emergency officials, the wintry mix caused no accidents or major problems in Bath or Highland counties.
 | | J.D. Hiner of Hiner's Auto Service won't let a little ice stop him from earning a day's wages as he clears the walk in front of his family's business on Main Street, Monterey. (Recorder photo by James Jacenich) |
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Snow tires or chains were recommended on roads; VDOT crews were treating the surfaces, making travel easier for those who had to be traveling.
A thin coat of slushy ice covered the area Valentine's Day morning. Tree branches had tinsel-like crystals of ice on bare branches. A few trees fell from the weight and power lines sagged.
"We haven't had any wrecks. We have had some reports of downed power lines and power outages in Warm Springs, Mitchelltown, and West Warm Springs. There have also been a few reports of trees down in the Burnsville area," said Bath County emergency services administrator and dispatcher Teresa Shelton.
The only close call reported to the Bath sheriff's office was a man who with a tree on his car, she said. "One gentleman reported that a tree fell on his windshield while driving over Warm Springs Mountain, but there were no injuries," she said.
Treacherous road conditions late last night likely kept people in their homes, she added.
State police reported a similar calm. The only call reported was a downed tree blocking U.S. 220 after midnight, said public information sergeant Robert Carpentieri. "I don't believe the weather got quite as bad as they anticipated," he said.
While Bath was relatively accident-free, he said Rockbridge County reported a number of weather related motor vehicle accidents.
John Sweet of Mustoe, who mans the weather observation station there, said heavy rains Tuesday night (about one inch at his station) didn't freeze, sparing him the worst of the ice. He had about one-quarter inch of ice on the ground and hanging from trees. "We got away with practically nothing of any importance here," he said.
Schools closed in Bath and Highland Tuesday and Wednesday. Many businesses got a late start, and libraries were closed. The Bath County courthouse was closed all day; Highland's courthouse didn't open until noon.
Bath supervisors canceled their Tuesday meeting, putting three public hearings on hold, including one on the sale of the old Millboro school. It was rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. in room 115 of the courthouse.
The Highland County Economic Development Authority canceled its meeting Tuesday night and will not meet again until March 13.
Also, despite the old post office mantra, the mail didn't make it to Monterey on Wednesday, said postmaster Gina Honaker.
But power remained on throughout the area. Allegheny Power reported outages in Winchester and Front Royal, but none for its customers in Highland.
Highland Florist in Monterey was making deliveries of roses and other romantic Valentine's Day favors and Gregg Morse of The Highland Inn was preparing for Valentine's dinner in the dining room, despite late or no delivery of supplies.
By Wednesday afternoon, the sun was peeking through clouds and occasional snow flurries as temperatures dropped. The forecast called for around 9 degrees Wednesday night, with winds up to 25-30 mph for a wind chill of 10 below expected after midnight, according to the National Weather Service.
Bath school superintendent David Smith said it was too early to tell what delays there might be to students' schedules the rest of the week. "The real challenge today was that there was not really enough ice to push with a snow plow, so it was very difficult to remove," he said. "Weather conditions like this are treacherous. Even though the main roads are clear there are so many other concerns to consider when making the decision to close schools," he said.
Smith noted back roads and parking lots were still reported to be icy and ice was causing tree branches to hang low.
Because Bath is under a wind advisory, Shelton predicted Wednesday there could be a few more power outages later in the evening.
Sweet was keeping an eye on the trees that surround his home to see how they fared under the weight of ice combined with the expected wind.
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