Update: 9 a.m. Sunday

Charlotte County accumulated a total of 8 1/4 inches of snow during Winter Storm Jonas, which has finally come to an end.

According to weather watchers Jenny Davis in Charlotte Court House and Mary Duffie in Saxe, both areas had a total of 8 1/4 inches at the end of snowfall on Saturday evening.

Currently there are no outages reported by Dominion Virginia Power or Southside Electric in Charlotte County.

 

Update: 7 p.m. Saturday

Charlotte County remains windy with no snowfall in sight.

According to weather watchers Jenny Davis in Charlotte Court House and Mary Duffie in Saxe, both areas are only experiencing harsh winds.

As outdoor temperatures continue to drop, it remains a relatively quiet afternoon in Southside Virginia.

“As evening sets in and temperatures begin to drop, Virginians are reminded to stay safe by staying indoors. Road conditions remain hazardous with drifting snow and white-out conditions across much of the state,” said Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

At around 5 p.m. across the state, State Police units were responding to 17 traffic crashes and 63 disabled vehicles.

Currently, state police said there have been weather-related deaths across the state. Two of those deaths were the result of hypothermia.

In addition to staying off of the roads, police are also urging individuals to stay indoors to avoid freezing temperatures and dangers associated with drifting snow.

Currently there are six outages reported by Dominion Virginia Power in Charlotte County.

 

Update: 5 p.m. Saturday

Winds and snowfall have come to a halt in Charlotte County

According to weather watchers Jenny Davis in Charlotte Court House and Mary Duffie in Saxe, both areas are no longer experiencing snowfall.

Hwy. 360 is open and in fair condition, according to reporter Italia Gregory.

“Currently, roads across the district are generally snow-covered,” said VDOT’s Lynchburg District spokeswoman Paula Jones. 

Charlotte County lies within the district. 

Jones said the snow and cold temperatures will make driving conditions dangerous throughout Saturday and into Sunday and travel is not encouraged. “Because of blowing and drifting snow, visibility may be an issue.”

The power outage report for Saturday evening is an optimistic one. Currently there are no outages reported by Southside Electric Cooperative, Dominion Virginia Power or Central Virginia Electric Cooperative in Charlotte County.

 

Update: 3 p.m. Saturday

Gusty winds and snowfall continue in Charlotte County.

According to weather watcher Jenny Davis, Charlotte Court House has reached 8 1/4 inches.

Dominion Power has reported three homes without power. There have been no outages reported by Southside Electric.

Stay with The Gazette for another update at 5 p.m.

 

Update: 1 p.m. Saturday

Gusty winds continue to spread snow on the plowed roads in Charlotte, making the Virginia Department of Transportation’s job of clearing roads a tough one.

Weather watcher Jenny Davis reports 8 inches of snow in Charlotte Court House. She says there is no sign of the precipitation stopping soon.

Routes 40 and 47 are still covered in snow, while Main Street in Keysville has a small sheet of snow on the road as VDOT continues to plow main roads like it the most, according to reports from Davis and Tom Lanigan, of Keysville.

Mary Duffie in Saxe reports close to 8 inches in her area with the snow continuing to fall in large flakes.

There has been no outages in the county thus far, according to Southside Electric and Dominion Power.

County Administrator R.B. Clark said there have been few accidents — none serious — and people have complied with request to stay indoors. Even with light snow expected the rest of the day, the county is moving toward normalcy.

“We’re cleaning up tomorrow and opening on Monday, as usual, I hope,” Clark said.

Southside Virginians continues to keep accidents to a minimum in spite of the snowfall continuing to come down at a rapid rate.

From midnight until 10 a.m., Division Three responded to around 13 traffic crashes and 25 disabled vehicles, according to Virginia State Police.

As of 11:30 a.m. this morning, state police across the Commonwealth were on the scene of 39 traffic accidents and 27 disabled vehicles, they said.

“Virginia State Police continue to respond to multiple calls this morning across the Commonwealth for disabled and crashed vehicles. Road conditions continue to be treacherous and Virginians are still advised to stay off the roads,” said State Police Public Relations Director Corinne Geller.

She said several more inches have been predicted, thus making travel dangerous.  

 

Update: 11 a.m. Saturday

The heavy snow continues in Charlotte County, as well as gusty winds that continue to blow snow into previously plowed roads.

Weather watcher Jenny Davis reports that 3/8 of an inch of snow has accumulated this morning in Charlotte Court House, making the total snowfall of Winter Storm Jonas 7 1/2 inches plus 2 1/4 inches of sleet.

As the snow continues to blanket Southside Virginia, local law enforcement agencies continue to maintain a minimal number of accidents across the area.

Since the onset of Winter Storm Jonas yesterday morning, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said no accidents have been reported.

 

“On Friday, Virginia State Police responded to a total 1,032 traffic crashes and another 879 disabled vehicles across the Commonwealth,” said state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

“State Police advise all citizens to avoid travel. However, if travel is necessary, buckle up, clear all snow from the vehicle and drive slow for the road conditions.”

 

Update: 9 a.m. Saturday

Charlotte County is now covered in snow and sleet, and now the snow has begun to fall again. Weather watcher Jenny Davis reports that snow is fallen steadily in Charlotte Court House and 2 1/4 inches of sleet accumulated over night on Scuffletown Road.

Italia Gregory reports 7 inches of snow in Drakes Branch.

“Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) crews remained fully-involved in winter weather response mode overnight in the 10-county Lynchburg District and efforts will continue today,” said VDOT spokeswoman Paula Jones.

“Currently, most primary and secondary routes are snow covered in the district and additional light snow is possible. VDOT’s goal is to have all state-maintained roads passable within 48 hours after the storm ends. Passable does not mean that there will necessarily be bare pavement. The snow and cold temperatures will make driving conditions dangerous and travel is not encouraged. Visibility may also be an issue due to blowing and drifting snow.”

By 7 a.m. on Saturday, Virginia State Police were on the scene of 17 crashes and 25 disabled vehicles, according to state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

However, the majority of incidents continue to occur in the Hamptons Roads, Metro-Richmond and Northern Virginia areas.

Geller said the most common emergency calls overnight were for disabled vehicles. During the night hours, statewide statistics indicated that state troopers responded to 145 accidents and 229 disabled vehicles.

Geller said, “as folks wake up to another day of snow and frigid temperatures, they are reminded to still avoid traveling on Virginia’s highways. Winds have now picked up causing snow to drift and pile up across interstates and primary routes, which make driving even more dangerous. State police ask Virginians to remain patient one more day until the storm has moved out and roads are cleared and safe for travel.”

At this time, only one weather-related fatality has been reported in the state, she said.

 

Update: 9:30 p.m. Friday

The sleet continues into the night in Charlotte County. Weather watcher Jenny Davis reports 1 inch of sleet on Scuffletown Road in Charlotte Court House.

Accidents across Southside Virginia continue to remain relatively low; however, dropping temperatures could create extremely hazardous road conditions.

According to Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller, “as temperatures drop overnight, and snow and sleet continue to blanket the state. State police and VDOT are still stressing to Virginians not to travel unless absolutely necessary. Highways will only get worse during the overnight hours and any travel will be treacherous, no matter how slow one drives.”

A press release from the State Police said units have responded to 841 weather-related accidents and 607 disabled vehicles across the state.

Division Three has seen a slight increase in accidents, totaling 56 crashes and 36 disabled vehicles.

State police said at 7:15 p.m., Virginia State Trooper were currently on the scene of 33 crashes and 15 disabled vehicles.

The Gazette’s updates will cease for the rest of the night. However, two-hour updates of Winter Storm Jonas coverage will begin at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning.

 

Update: 7:30 p.m. Friday

The sleet continues to fall in Charlotte County. Weather watcher Jenny Davis reports 1/4 of an inch of sleet on her sidewalk on Scuffletown Road in Charlotte Court House. Houses on the road have started to experience flickering lights.

Stay with The Gazette for today’s last update at 9:30 p.m.

 

Update: 5:30 p.m. Friday

The snow has stopped for now, but a different precipitation has started. Weather watcher Jenny Davis reports 6 inches of snow  in Charlotte Court House. The snow has stopped for the moment, however it is now sleeting, she said.

Mary Duffie, of Saxe, reported that the snow had stopped there as well.

“Traffic has been light much of the day due to employees using leave or businesses, schools and agencies being closed and this has allowed Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) crews in the 10-county Lynchburg District to safely and confidently work from the onset of this extended winter storm,” said VDOT spokeswoman Paula Jones.

“Snow totals up to 7 inches have been reported in portions of the district in the south-central part of the commonwealth. Roads across the district are snow-covered as the winter precipitation continues to fall …,” she said. “Dangerous driving conditions are likely during this event and travel is not encouraged. Visibility may also be an issue due to blowing and drifting snow and fast rates of precipitation.”

As of 5:30 p.m. in Charlotte County, no accidents have been reported.

According to Virginia State Police Public Relations Director Corinne Geller, “as of 4:30 p.m. Friday, Virginia Troopers are currently on scene of 96 crashes and 23 disabled vehicles statewide.”

Division Three reports a total of 49 traffic crashes across the area and 25 disabled vehicles according to State Police.

“State police and VDOT are still stressing to Virginians not to travel unless absolutely necessary,” Geller said.

To stay up to date on current road conditions, dial 511 or visit www.511virginia.org.  

 

Update: 1:30 p.m. Friday

The snow continues to fall in Charlotte in large flakes at a fast rate. Weather watcher Jenny Davis reports 4.5 inches of snow on Scuffletown Road in Charlotte Court House.

A shelter has been opened at the Keysville Fire Station, according to community activist and Virginia State Police Trooper James Gregory Sr.

There are 20 beds available and indoor pets are allowed if they are in a carrier or cage. Patrons will need to bring pillow. Warm blankets are available, according to Gregory. Those interested can contact KVFD Fire Chief Lynn Duffey at (434) 395-8644 or Gregory at (434) 315-3644.

As of noon on Friday, no accidents have been reported in Charlotte County, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

In addition, the department has only received one call about a single vehicle running into the median.

The Virginia State Police has encouraged all motorists to stay off the roads unless travel is absolutely necessary. “These storm systems have the potential to significantly impact the safety of motorists on our highways,” said Colonel W. Steven Faherty in a press release from the Virginia State Police.  

“We encourage drivers who encounter adverse travel conditions to be prepared, be alert, remain patient, and to alway drive to save lives.”

The release said drivers should use headlights, slow their speed, don’t tailgate, buckle up, check their vehicle and carry essentials when leaving home such as a blanket, window scraper, flashlight and cell phone charger.

 

Update: 11:30 a.m. Friday

Snow is continuing to fall in large flakes all over Charlotte County, blanketing most roads. According to weather watcher Jenny Davis, Charlotte Court House has 3.75 inches of snow.

Mary Duffie in Saxe reports four inches in her area.

“Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) crews are fully deployed across the 10-county Lynchburg District this morning as potentially significant ice, freezing rain, sleet and snow up to 2 feet or more in depth are expected to impact the area over the next two days,” said VDOT spokeswoman Paula Jones.

“VDOT crews are prepared for this first major winter storm and will be working in 12-hour shifts during and after the storm. Their goal is to have all state-maintained roads passable within 48 hoursafter a storm ends. Passable does not mean that there will necessarily be bare pavement.”

Stay with The Gazette for more updates on Winter Storm Jonas.

Update: 9:30 a.m. Friday

Snow is falling across Charlotte County. According to weather watchers Jenny Davis in Charlotte Court House, Marie Parker in Drakes Branch and Mary Duffie in Saxe huge snowflakes are coming down at a fast rate.