File photo : A maintenance helicopter prepares to takeoff from Central Virginia Electric in Colleen, Virginia.
Wintergreen
Nelson County, Virginia
Information from Wintergreen Fire & Rescue along with Wintergreen Property Owners Association.
“Monday (4.4.21) work will begin replacing the power transmission lines which connect the Wintergreen Mountain village to the valley floor. This project will span 4 months and much of the work will be completed utilizing specialized helicopters. There will be large helicopters for lifting, and smaller ones to shuttle personnel and equipment.
The helicopter base will be near the tubing park. Obviously, this project will create noise. Work will only take place during daylight hours and is not scheduled for weekends unless they get behind schedule.
Sub-contractors for Central Virginia Electric Cooperative will complete the work without flying over occupied structures or roadways. The trails around work areas will be closed.
All four medical helicopter companies which serve Wintergreen have been notified. All medical evacuation landing zones will remain open.
The Rockfish Air Park operators have also been alerted to increased traffic.
This project should not cause power outages. There is a caveat. There are typically two ways to route power to mountain. This redundancy significantly decreases the frequency and duration of power outages. While this project is being completed, there will only be one path for energy.”
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
400 AM EDT Sun Apr 3 2022
Augusta-Rockingham-Shenandoah-Page-Warren-Nelson-Albemarle-Greene-
Madison-Rappahannock-Orange-Culpeper-Stafford-Spotsylvania-
King George-Northern Fauquier-Southern Fauquier-
Northern Virginia Blue Ridge-Central Virginia Blue Ridge-
Including the cities of Staunton, Waynesboro, Stuarts Draft,
Harrisonburg, Strasburg, Woodstock, Mount Jackson, New Market,
Luray, Shenandoah, Stanley, Front Royal, Lovingston,
Charlottesville, Stanardsville, Madison, Washington, Orange,
Gordonsville, Culpeper, Falmouth, Fredericksburg, Dahlgren,
Warrenton, Turnbull, Big Meadows, and Wintergreen
400 AM EDT Sun Apr 3 2022
…ENHANCED THREAT FOR THE SPREAD OF WILDFIRES THIS AFTERNOON…
Minimum relative humidity will drop to between 25 and 30 percent
across portions of northern and central Virginia while west to
northwest winds gust frequently between 25 and 35 mph. The
strongest winds will coincide with the lowest humidity during the
mid to late afternoon hours.
Fuel moisture will dry out during this time. The combination of
low fuel moisture, low relative humidity, and gusty winds will
enhance the threat for the spread of wildfires.
Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged during this time. Please
refer to your local burn permitting authority on whether you can
burn. If you do burn, use extreme caution and ensure fire
suppression is readily available.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Blacksburg VA
413 AM EDT Sun Apr 3 2022
Tazewell-Smyth-Bland-Giles-Wythe-Pulaski-Montgomery-Grayson-
Carroll-Floyd-Craig-Roanoke-Botetourt-Rockbridge-Patrick-Franklin-
Bedford-Amherst-Henry-Pittsylvania-Campbell-Appomattox-Buckingham-
Halifax-Charlotte-
Including the cities of Tazewell, Marion, Bland, Pearisburg,
Wytheville, Radford, Pulaski, Blacksburg, Independence, Whitetop,
Troutdale, Volney, Galax, Floyd, New Castle, Roanoke, Salem,
Fincastle, Lexington, Buena Vista, Stuart, Rocky Mount, Bedford,
Amherst, Martinsville, Danville, Lynchburg, Appomattox,
South Boston, and Keysville
413 AM EDT Sun Apr 3 2022
…ENHANCED FIRE DANGER TODAY…
West to northwest winds of 10 to 20 mph, will gust up to 20 to 30
mph this afternoon. Humidity levels dropping 25 to 35 percent,
will combine with the wind to dry out fuels and enhance the threat
of the spread of wildfires.
Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged during this time. Please
refer to your local burn permitting authority on whether you can
burn. If you do burn, use extreme caution and ensure fire
suppression is readily available.
The following highway work is scheduled, weather permitting, in the Culpeper District during the next week. Traffic movements may be restricted and speed limits reduced in work zones. (NEW) or (UPDATE) indicate revisions since last week’s report.
(UPDATE) Debris cleanup – Be alert for multiple crews in the following areas as they remove trees and other storm debris from roadsides. Watch for traffic controls and directional signs as you approach the work zones.
Interstate 64. Expect left lane closures in the eastbound lanes between mile marker 128 and mile marker 131, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday.
Route 6 (Irish Road). Expect alternating lane closures under flagging operations in both the eastbound and westbound lanes from Route 20 (Valley Street) to the Nelson County line, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily.
Route 20 (Scottsville Road). Expect alternating lane closures under flagging operations in both the northbound and southbound lanes from Route 53 (Thomas Jefferson Parkway) to Route 712 (Plank Road), 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily.
Route 20 (Stony Point Road). Expect alternating lane closures under flagging operations in both the northbound and southbound lanes from Route 1421 (Fontana Drive) to the Orange County line, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily.
Interstate 64 – Ditch cleaning operations. Expect shoulder closures in the eastbound and westbound lanes, from mile marker 100 to mile marker 131, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
U.S. 250 (Richmond Road) at Interstate 64. Construction of diverging diamond interchange. Speed limit reduced to 25 miles per hour. Right two lanes and right and left shoulders closed from the eastbound off-ramp to U.S. 250. Expect alternating lane closures on the westbound off-ramp to U.S. 250, Sunday through Friday, 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Use caution traveling through the work zone and be alert for construction vehicles entering and exiting the work area.
Expect intermittent lane closure with traffic controlled by flaggers, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Speed limit reduced to 25 miles per hour.
U.S. 250 (Rockfish Gap Turnpike) at Route 151 (Critzer Shop Road). Construction of a roundabout. Expect single lane closures with traffic controlled by flaggers between 6:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Speed limit reduced to 25 miles per hour. Be alert for equipment and workers near the travel lanes and follow signs through the work zone.
(UPDATE) Water Main Replacement Project – Be aware of contract crews working on the following roads.
Route 1408 (South Bennington Road). Monday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Route 1406 (Surrey Road). Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Route 1405 (Chaucer Road). Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Route 1404 (Westminster Road). Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
U.S. 250 (Rockfish Gap Turnpike) – Roadway improvements. Expect alternating flagging operations in both the eastbound and westbound lanes, from Route 1260 (Cory Farm Road) to Radford Lane, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
(NEW) Route 22 (Louisa Road) – Tree removal operations. Expect eastbound lane and shoulder closures from Route 640 (Saint John Road) to Route 616 (Whitlock Road) from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Route 22 (Louisa Road) – Bridge substructure repair/replacement. Expect alternating lane closures between Route 744 (Hunt Club Road) and Route 600 (Campbell Road), 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Route 240 (Crozet Avenue) – Bridge superstructure replacement. Traffic reduced to one lane controlled by temporary signal between Route 1231 (Davis Drive) and Route 691 (Tabor Street) through mid-July 2022. Expect congestion and delays during peak traffic hours.
Route 631 (Rio Road East) – Sidewalk work between Route 1177 (Dunlora Drive) and Route 1481 (Pen Park Lane). Expect alternating lane closures with flagging operations and workers near the travel lanes Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
(NEW) Route 702 (Reservoir Road) – Utility work under VDOT permit. The roadway will close to traffic in both directions Saturday, April 2 through Sunday, April 3. Drivers should use alternate routes.
City of Charlottesville
(NEW) Route 743 (Hydraulic Road) – Utility work under VDOT permit. Expect mobile, alternating lane closures in both the northbound and southbound lanes of Route 743 (Hydraulic Road) from U.S. 250 to the Albemarle County line between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., beginning Sunday.
(NEW) U.S. 29 (Seminole Trail) – Utility work under VDOT permit. Expect mobile, alternating lane closures in both the northbound and southbound lanes under flagging operations, from Holiday Drive to Seminole Court, between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily, beginning Sunday.
Culpeper County
(NEW) Route 730 (Indian Run Road) – Utility work under VDOT permit. Drivers can expect alternating lane closures at Route 639 (Holly Springs Road), Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(UPDATE) Paving Operations – Expect alternating lane closures on the following roads with traffic controlled by flaggers and pilot trucks.
Route 686 East (Lovers Lane) between U.S. 15 (James Madison Highway) and U.S. 522 (Zachary Taylor Highway), 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday.
Route 799 (Keyser Road) between Route 3652 (East Chandler Street) and Route 667 (Nalles Mill Road), 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.
Fauquier County
(NEW) Interstate 66 – Ditch cleaning operations Be alert for work crews on roadsides between mile marker 16 and mile markers 35 in the eastbound and westbound lanes, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Interstate 66 – Utility work under VDOT permit. Expect right shoulder closures, eastbound and westbound, between mile marker 14 and mile marker 37, Sunday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Be alert for traffic controls and directional signs as you approach the work zones.
(NEW) Updating directional signs – Be alert for work crews in the following areas.
U.S. 17 (Grove Lane). Right shoulder closed in the northbound lane from Route 721 (Free State Road) to West Main Street, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m
U.S. 17 (Winchester Road). Right shoulder closed in the southbound lane from Route 1002 (Ashby Avenue) to Route 1003 (Renalds Avenue), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
U.S. 17 (James Madison Highway). Right shoulder closed in the southbound lane at Route 699 (Merry Oaks Lane), Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
U.S. 17 (Winchester Road). Right shoulder closed in the southbound lane at Route 812 (Dondoric Farm Road), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
U.S. 17 (Marsh Road) – Replacing southbound bridge over the railroad and Route 805 (Bealeton Road). One southbound lane closed. Lane closure will remain in place for majority of project. Anticipated completion December 2022.
U.S. 17 (West Main Street) – Expect alternating lane closures in the northbound lanes, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, between Route 1003 (Frost Street) and U.S. 17 (Winchester Road) for road construction.
Route 55 (John Marshall Highway) – Utility work under VDOT permit. Expect lane and shoulder closures in the westbound lanes at Route 724 (Pleasant Vale Road), 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Route 647 (Crest Hill Road) – Bridge replacement. The bridge over Thumb Run is closed for replacement of the structure. Detour signs will direct traffic to use Route 635 (Hume Road) and Route 688 (Leeds Manor Road). The new bridge will reopen to traffic by Nov. 11, 2022.
Route 674 (Frytown Road) – Roadway reconstruction. Road closed to through traffic between Route 678 (Bald Eagle Drive) and Route 1440 (Millwood Drive). Local traffic follow directional signs. Project completion expected June 3.
Route 805 (Bealeton Road) – Road reduced to one lane under the U.S. 17 (Marsh Road) bridge during bridge replacement project. Traffic controlled by temporary traffic signals.
(NEW) Route 806 (Elk Run Road) – Utility work under VDOT permit. Expect alternating lane closures in both the northbound and southbound lanes from Route 28 (Catlett Road) to Route 607 (Shenandoah Path) Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
(NEW) Route 853 (Station Drive) – Paving operations. Expect alternating lane closures in the eastbound lanes, controlled by flaggers and pilot trucks, from U.S. 17 (Marsh Road) to Route 28 (Catlett Road), 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, April 9 through Wednesday, April 13.
Louisa County
(UPDATE) Interstate 64 – Debris cleanup. Expect left lane closures eastbound, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, between mile marker 131 and mile marker 138 while crews remove trees and other storm debris from the shoulder and clear zone. Multiple crews will be working in this area. Be alert for traffic controls and directional signs as you approach the work zones.
(UPDATE) Interstate 64 – Ditch cleaning operations. Expect shoulder closures in the eastbound and westbound lanes from mile marker 131 to mile marker 148, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Route 522 (Cross County Road) – Construction of a roundabout at U.S. 250 (Broad Street Road) near the Goochland County line. Expect flagging operations Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Madison County
(NEW) U.S. 29 (Seminole Trail) – Utility work under VDOT permit. Right shoulder will be closed in the southbound lane at Route 733 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Road conditions and other real-time travel information can be found on the 511 Virginia website, the free VDOT 511 mobile app or by calling 511 from any phone in Virginia. VDOT updates are also on Facebook and the district’s Twitter account, @VaDOTCulp.
One year ago today on April 1, 2021 we say farewell to the print edition of Blue Ridge Life after 16 years in publication. Click on the image above to read that final issue.
Roseland
Nelson County, Virginia
April 1, 2022
By Tommy Stafford
Has it really been an entire year since we stopped publishing the print edition of Blue Ridge Life? Yes, it has been. That was a bittersweet pill to swallow for sure. But we’re constantly morphing the online edition and are almost completed with making the changes to the site. Many of you have inquired about how to advertise online here. We’ve been holding off on that until we got everything under the hood like we needed. Soon we’ll be starting that phase of the website. You’ll see some of the old familiar faces you once saw in the print edition.
Until then, scroll below for a look back at our farewell post from a year ago.
Happy April everyone!
Tommy, Yvette, Adam & Peyton
Our post from March 31, 2021, below:
A much younger Tommy & Yvette. This was our first publisher’s photo in April 2005. It was taken a few months before at Kris Kringle / Saunders Christmas Tree Farm in December 2004.
Roseland
Nelson County, Virginia
By Tommy Stafford
It’s amazing how fast 16 years can go by when you’re an adult, and you’re adulting. Not so much when you’re a kid and you’re waiting on the 16th birthday so you can drive! April 1, 2021 makes 16 years to the day we launched then Nelson County Life Magazine which was later rebranded as Blue Ridge Life Magazine.
Our first cover of then Nelson County Life Magazine back on April 1, 2005. To the right our first publishers statement when we just began. Click on the image above read the very first From The Publishers.
Back then there were a few wineries here in Nelson. No breweries. No distilleries. And other than a hand-full of long-established local eating places, the only other dining option was Wintergreen Resort. The resort has already sold twice since those days and is now leased and managed out of Utah.
Back then we didn’t have kids and spent most of our days renovating a 1900s farm house we’d bought in Greenfield the year before in 2004. When finished up for the day we’d either get a pizza from the old Ashley’s Market nearby or head up the road to D’Ambolas Italian Restaurant to eat.
Yvette in March of 2006 renovating our first house here in Nelson County. She was building bookshelves in what would eventually become the parlor. We sold that house after 10 years in Greenfield and bought our current farm in Roseland in 2014.
Our path to starting the magazine was a bit curvy, with lots of twists and turns, much like the mountain roads we drive today here in Nelson. We met in the TV news business back in Tennessee and continued reporting into the early 2000s in Memphis.
Circa 2000. Yvette and me on the set of Action News 5 (WMC-TV) the NBC affiliate in Memphis, TN where we both reported and I did occasional weather. This was about 3-4 years before we left the TV news business permanently.
At the same time we were developing an exit strategy from that business. It was certainly better then vs now, but not by much. We literally sold drinking jars on the internet to get out of the news business to be able to buy our first home here in Virginia.
There we are almost two decades ago. October 2002. NW Tennessee. We literally sold drinking jars with handles and canning jars on the internet. This was just a small part of the inventory. The company we founded was RuralRoot.
We sold that company, RuralRoot, about a year after moving to Nelson in 2004. It’s long since closed down. But the couple we sold it to did a great job with it until the markets changed. (Google, Wal-Mart and the like took it out several years later.)
We launched Nelson County Life Magazine on April 1, 2005. Facebook had technically started just a year before, but was barely heard of back then and had no advertising component at all. Today Facebook dominates (for bad or good) advertising markets. Cheap $20 ads that target specific places. Local print advertising isn’t over, but it’s on life support in a lot of places. In spite of its downsides – and there are many – Facebook is good medium to share info and stay in touch. Most of you got to this article because it was posted in social media and led you here.
We survived the housing bust of 2008. That almost took us out. In just a month more than a third of our revenue disappeared. It took five years to get back to where we were. But we did by 2013. Because Yvette and I had started the business from scratch, we’d done every single job there was to do, from delivering magazines, to taking photos, to laying it out and selling all of the ads. So when 2008 happened we went back to the basics, survived, kept hunting unique story ideas, and kept publishing.
August 2011, Brian Shanks (L) and John Washburn, founders of Bold Rock Hard Cider stand on the original grounds of the cider barn construction. In the coming years the operation would double in size time and time again. The local company eventually sold to a large adult beverage corporation.
When a new brewery or eating establishment was planned, we were there. From the time the footers were poured, to the roof going on, until they were in operation. Many of those establishments advertised, but as they were sold off to corporations, they dropped off. It was an evolution, and a predictable one.
October 2008. Jason Oliver, Head Brewmaster for Devils Backbone Brewing, stands behind the bar under construction. Nelson’s second brewery would open to the public several weeks later. The entire operation eventually sold to Anheuser-Busch Companies, a division of InBev.
December 2006 – Blue Mountain Brewery founders Matt Nucci, Taylor Smack, and Mandi Smack look over the property where Nelson County’s first brewery would open about a year later in October 2007. Blue Mountain continues today as a locally owned brewery.
As the years ticked by, digital media grew. It began taking more and more of our market share. But there was still place for a printed magazine like BRL, especially in a big tourist location such as Nelson. It was actually the only way to get the message out to some in a county with still-sparse internet in places. It remained highly successful.
Enter the Covid scare of 2020 which essentially shut down all restaurant and hospitality organizations for weeks. They still aren’t back at full operation today. What was left standing of those businesses greatly curtailed or eliminated their advertising dollars.
Enough of how we got there. We. Are. Here.
Within the last two years we knew this day was approaching. Long before any of us heard of covid. We were already looking for the right time to exit. We learned from previous businesses, to leave when you’re strong, not limping over the finish line. In early 2021 we made the decision to end run with BRL on issue 200 in November. We could take our time to fondly reflect over the past 16 years and land nicely just in time for the holidays. A way to take plenty of time to say, “so long.”
Then a few weeks ago one of our large advertisers decided to not renew their advertising contract. This meant the loss of big money. We’d already been propping up the magazine in some months with money from other companies. So we decided that instead of limping over the finish line as discussed above, we’d finish strong. April 2021 would be our last issue. Exactly 16 years after we started.
Photo By Kate Simon : You’ve become accustomed to seeing our family in the publisher’s photo each month for 16 years. This was one of our final ones taken in March 2021.
So this is it, folks, for the printed edition. It’s being distributed now. The website (blueridgelife.com) will continue for the foreseeable future. We continue to use the Blue Ridge Life Magazine brand. I’ll be maintaining it mainly for breaking news and weather information, as we’ve always done. We all remember that derecho!! Our website along with our social media pages continues. They all have thousands and thousands of followers and I won’t be pulling the plug anytime soon. Yvette’s real estate business is soaring and I have more than enough on the farm and handling soon-to-be teenagers!
We cannot adequately express our gratitude to each and every one of you for the past 16 years. You and the advertisers are the reason for the magazine’s success. You always saw us out front, but there are countless people behind the scenes over the years that made it happen. Names like Jennie Tal Williams, Paul Purpura (Mountain Photographer), Diana Garland, Jenn Rhubright, Marcie Gates, Hayley Osborne, Kat Turner, Lisa Davis, Stephanie Gross, Kate Simon, Victoria Godfrey, Elizabeth Ferrall, Woody Greenberg, Lynn Coffey, Mary Withers, Chet White, Lee Luther, Olivia Carter, Kim Chappell, Rachel Ryan, Ray Whitson, Woody Elliot, Earl Hamner, Jr, Norm Shafer, Joanie Dodd, Christina Kline, to name a few. There are so many more over the 16 years who I can’t remember right now, but you mattered just as much.
September 26, 2013 marked the final publication of The Hook that was launched back in 2002. Hawes Spencer the publisher was a loyal confidant in helping us get our start at BRL.
The late Steve Crandall in this photo I took back in May 2006. This is the exact field where Devils Backbone Brewing stands today. Steve told me not long after we met in late 2004 that he dreamed of having a brewery there one day.
The late Steve Crandall of Roseland. (my personal tribute and goodbye to Steve here form my own website ) Steve was our first advertiser when he was still running Tectonics II. His son Justin has taken over that business today. Steve bought an entire year of advertising the first day we launched back in 2005 and paid the whole thing on the spot! He took it on faith. He didn’t really know us either. We have never forgotten that. Years later after founding Devils Backbone, we all prospered once again. Though it was a tough ride those first few years.
Finally and most importantly: my wife, Yvette. All 193 issues you have read, she put together. Through derechos, blizzards, child birth, illnesses, she never, ever missed a single deadline. Not one. That’s unheard of. But then again, that’s Yvette. She deserves the rest, and the praise.
Yvette back in November 2006 with our rescue kitty Angelo. She was busy laying out one of the early issues. Our final issue of April 2021 marks issue 193.
For me personally, I will echo what Charles Kuralt said on his final broadcast of CBS Sunday morning back in the mid-1990s. (Here’s a link to that Kuralt final broadcast by the way. It’s a fantastic farewell.) It’s also in the final printed April 2021 issue. I echoed those thoughts to our longtime writer and friend, Victoria Godfrey, in our very last story. Here, it’s in the caption from the image below which was taken in my favorite place, Pinecone Land. Our daughter Peyton named it that when she was about 4 years old.
“Time for us to part, you and I. Saying goodbye to the viewers of “Sunday Morning” is like saying goodbye to old friends. That’s the way I feel. Thank you for making me feel that way. I aim to do some traveling and reading and writing and to watch this program the civilized way for a change: in my bathrobe while having breakfast. “There is a rhyme by Clarence Day which says what I want to say: ‘Farewell, my friends, farewell and hail; I’m off to seek the holy grail; I cannot tell you why; remember, please when I am gone, ‘twas aspiration led me on; tiddly-widdly-toodle-oo, all I want is to stay with you, but here I go, goodbye.’”
As Yvette said in our final From The Publishers, “This isn’t good-bye.”
Previously scheduled maintenance project has been accelerated to begin Friday, April 1; Rest areas will remain open at all times, with temporary restrooms through September 2023
Restroom facilities at the Interstate 64 Eastbound and Westbound Charlottesville Safety Rest Areas in Albemarle County will undergo extended maintenance starting Friday, April 1, requiring the use of temporary restroom facilities at both rest areas through September 2023.
Both rest areas will remain open at all times, to include parking and all other amenities.
Portable restrooms will be available initially, for approximately 30 days. These will be replaced by trailer-based restrooms, which will be in place until the maintenance project is complete. All temporary facilities will include handicapped-accessible restrooms and handwashing stations. Water fountains will remain operational.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is starting a planned $3.9 million project to replace the existing mineral oil-based filtration systems that operate restroom facilities at both Charlottesville rest areas. Due to the system’s current condition, this scheduled project has been accelerated to occur sooner than anticipated, and temporary restrooms must be used while the new system is installed.
When these rest areas opened in 1979, the rural setting prevented connecting with a municipal water supply, or installing a traditional septic system. Using a mineral oil-based system to process waste reduced the amount of water required to operate the facilities, while providing a safe location for motorists to stop that is convenient to the interstate. The new system will use recycled, non-potable water instead of oil.
The I-64 Eastbound Charlottesville rest area is located at mile marker 105, and the I-64 Westbound Charlottesville rest area is located at mile marker 113.
Message boards will be positioned along I-64 in advance of both rest areas to alert travelers that starting Friday, only temporary restroom facilities are available.
Virginia has 43 Safety Rest Areas statewide, and 11 are joint Safety Rest Areas and Welcome Centers.
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 87
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
200 PM EDT Thu Mar 31 2022
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of
District Of Columbia
Western and Central Maryland
Southern New York
Central Pennsylvania
Northern Virginia
Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
Coastal Waters
* Effective this Thursday afternoon and evening from 200 PM until
1000 PM EDT.
* Primary threats include...
Widespread damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely
Isolated large hail events to 1 inch in diameter possible
A tornado or two possible
SUMMARY...Thunderstorms will continue to increase in coverage and
intensity this afternoon and spread across the watch area. The
strongest cells and lines will pose a risk of damaging wind gusts
and a tornado or two.
The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 75
statute miles east and west of a line from 50 miles northeast of
Binghamton NY to 30 miles southwest of Staunton VA. For a complete
depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update
(WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
REMEMBER...A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are
favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening
weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible
warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce
tornadoes.
WOUS64 KWNS 311800
WOU7
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WS 87
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
200 PM EDT THU MAR 31 2022
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 87 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
DCC001-010200-
/O.NEW.KWNS.SV.A.0087.220331T1800Z-220401T0200Z/
DC
. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
MDC001-003-005-009-013-015-017-021-023-025-027-031-033-037-043-
510-010200-
/O.NEW.KWNS.SV.A.0087.220331T1800Z-220401T0200Z/
MD
. MARYLAND COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
ALLEGANY ANNE ARUNDEL BALTIMORE
CALVERT CARROLL CECIL
CHARLES FREDERICK GARRETT
HARFORD HOWARD MONTGOMERY
PRINCE GEORGES ST. MARYS WASHINGTON
MARYLAND INDEPENDENT CITIES INCLUDED ARE
BALTIMORE CITY
NYC007-015-017-023-025-077-097-105-107-109-010200-
/O.NEW.KWNS.SV.A.0087.220331T1800Z-220401T0200Z/
NY
. NEW YORK COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
BROOME CHEMUNG CHENANGO
CORTLAND DELAWARE OTSEGO
SCHUYLER SULLIVAN TIOGA
TOMPKINS
PAC001-009-013-015-027-035-037-041-043-055-057-061-067-069-071-
075-079-081-087-093-097-099-103-107-109-111-113-115-117-119-127-
131-133-010200-
/O.NEW.KWNS.SV.A.0087.220331T1800Z-220401T0200Z/
PA
. PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
ADAMS BEDFORD BLAIR
BRADFORD CENTRE CLINTON
COLUMBIA CUMBERLAND DAUPHIN
FRANKLIN FULTON HUNTINGDON
JUNIATA LACKAWANNA LANCASTER
LEBANON LUZERNE LYCOMING
MIFFLIN MONTOUR NORTHUMBERLAND
PERRY PIKE SCHUYLKILL
SNYDER SOMERSET SULLIVAN
SUSQUEHANNA TIOGA UNION
WAYNE WYOMING YORK
VAC003-013-015-043-047-059-061-069-079-091-099-107-113-125-137-
139-153-157-165-171-177-179-187-510-540-600-610-630-660-683-685-
790-820-840-010200-
/O.NEW.KWNS.SV.A.0087.220331T1800Z-220401T0200Z/
VA
. VIRGINIA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
ALBEMARLE ARLINGTON AUGUSTA
CLARKE CULPEPER FAIRFAX
FAUQUIER FREDERICK GREENE
HIGHLAND KING GEORGE LOUDOUN
MADISON NELSON ORANGE
PAGE PRINCE WILLIAM RAPPAHANNOCK
ROCKINGHAM SHENANDOAH SPOTSYLVANIA
STAFFORD WARREN
VIRGINIA INDEPENDENT CITIES INCLUDED ARE
ALEXANDRIA CHARLOTTESVILLE FAIRFAX
FALLS CHURCH FREDERICKSBURG HARRISONBURG
MANASSAS MANASSAS PARK STAUNTON
WAYNESBORO WINCHESTER
WVC003-023-027-031-037-057-065-071-010200-
/O.NEW.KWNS.SV.A.0087.220331T1800Z-220401T0200Z/
WV
. WEST VIRGINIA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
BERKELEY GRANT HAMPSHIRE
HARDY JEFFERSON MINERAL
MORGAN PENDLETON
ANZ530-531-532-533-534-535-536-537-538-539-540-541-542-543-
010200-
/O.NEW.KWNS.SV.A.0087.220331T1800Z-220401T0200Z/
CW
. ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS INCLUDED ARE
CHESAPEAKE BAY NORTH OF POOLES ISLAND MD
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM POOLES ISLAND TO SANDY POINT MD
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM SANDY POINT TO NORTH BEACH MD
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM NORTH BEACH TO DRUM POINT MD
CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM DRUM POINT MD TO SMITH POINT VA
TIDAL POTOMAC FROM KEY BRIDGE TO INDIAN HEAD MD
TIDAL POTOMAC FROM INDIAN HEAD TO COBB ISLAND MD
TIDAL POTOMAC FROM COBB ISLAND MD TO SMITH POINT VA
PATAPSCO RIVER INCLUDING BALTIMORE HARBOR
CHESTER RIVER TO QUEENSTOWN MD
EASTERN BAY
CHOPTANK RIVER TO CAMBRIDGE MD AND THE LITTLE CHOPTANK RIVER
PATUXENT RIVER TO BROOMES ISLAND MD
TANGIER SOUND AND THE INLAND WATERS SURROUNDING BLOODSWORTH
ISLAND
ATTN...WFO...LWX...CTP...BGM...
Graphic vis NWS Blacksburg : There is an increased fire danger today across part of the Blue Ridge. Sunday – March 27, 2022
Elevated Fire Weather Conditions This Afternoon
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Blacksburg VA
553 AM EDT Sun Mar 27 2022
Grayson-Carroll-Floyd-Patrick-Franklin-Bedford-Amherst-Henry-
Pittsylvania-Campbell-Appomattox-Buckingham-Halifax-Charlotte-
Including the cities of Independence, Whitetop, Troutdale,
Volney, Galax, Floyd, Stuart, Rocky Mount, Bedford, Amherst,
Martinsville, Danville, Lynchburg, Appomattox, South Boston,
and Keysville
553 AM EDT Sun Mar 27 2022
...Elevated Fire Weather Conditions This Afternoon...
A combination of dry and breezy conditions will create an
enhanced risk for the active spread of wildfires this afternoon.
West-northwest winds 10 to 20 mph, with gusts of 25 to 30 mph
will occur today. Humidity levels will fall to 20 to 25 percent
in the afternoon. This will result in elevated fire weather
conditions that would support rapid rates of spread for wildland
fires.
Residents are urged to exercise caution handling any potential
ignition source...including machinery... cigarettes...and matches.
Be sure to properly discard all smoking materials. Any dry
grasses and tree litter that ignite will have the potential to
spread quickly.
Photos By John Taylor up on Devils Knob at Wintergreen Resort : The calendar may say it’s officially spring, but winter returned Saturday morning in the mountains of Nelson County. March 26, 2022
Wintergreen
Devils Knob
Nelson County, Virginia
The calendar says we officially changed to spring last weekend, but winter still has a trick or two left in the bag. Folks living up in the higher elevations were greeted by some light snow and gusty winds Saturday morning around daylight. John Taylor up on Devils Knob (3500′) at Wintergreen Resort sent us these photos of what John’s calling a “very heavy dusting.”
It’s not unusual to see snow in the Blue Ridge Mountains in March or even into April. But, it will become less and less of a threat as the shift from winter to spring continues in the coming weeks.
This weekend will continue to be very chilly, especially in the higher elevations. Milder temps return to the area by the middle of next week.
Via NWS Blacksburg : A significant portion of our area is in an increased risk for wildfires this Sunday afternoon – March 20, 2022. Click image above for latest from NWS.
INCREASED FIRE DANGER THIS AFTERNOON
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Blacksburg VA
1036 AM EDT Sun Mar 20 2022
Ashe-Alleghany NC-Surry-Stokes-Rockingham-Caswell-Watauga-Wilkes-
Yadkin-Smyth-Wythe-Pulaski-Montgomery-Grayson-Carroll-Floyd-
Roanoke-Botetourt-Rockbridge-Patrick-Franklin-Bedford-Amherst-
Henry-Pittsylvania-Campbell-Appomattox-Buckingham-Halifax-
Charlotte-
Including the cities of West Jefferson, Sparta, Dobson, Danbury,
Eden, Yanceyville, Boone, Wilkesboro, Yadkinville, Marion,
Wytheville, Radford, Pulaski, Blacksburg, Independence, Whitetop,
Troutdale, Volney, Galax, Floyd, Roanoke, Salem, Fincastle,
Lexington, Buena Vista, Stuart, Rocky Mount, Bedford, Amherst,
Martinsville, Danville, Lynchburg, Appomattox, South Boston,
and Keysville
1036 AM EDT Sun Mar 20 2022
...INCREASED FIRE DANGER THIS AFTERNOON FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
AND NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...
Winds will gust from the northwest at 20 to 30 mph this afternoon.
Humidity levels drop below 35 percent in the mountains and below
25 percent in the foothills and piedmont. These winds and low
relative humidity values will create an increased fire danger this
afternoon through around sunset. Wind speeds will decrease around
sunset.
Outdoor burning is discouraged. Please refer to your local burn
permitting authorities on whether you can burn. Use caution with
any potential ignition sources such as campfires and cigarettes.
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