Winter Storm in Bland, Virginia

A winter storm produced freezing rain, sleet and snow in Bland county. Ice from freezing rain reached a thickness of 0.1 inches and sleet accumulated to a depth of 1 inch, while snow reports ranged from 0.5 to 3.4 inches across the county.

A strong center of high pressure over the northeastern United States wedged cold air along the east side of the Appalachian Mountains. Low pressure in the Gulf brought moisture into the region as it tracked northeast over the Carolinas and Virginia. The enhanced moisture combined with the dammed cold air created a complex winter storm that produced snow, sleet and freezing rain in Virginia concentrated along the Blue Ridge and in the Interstate 64 corridor. Over 160 traffic incidents were reported throughout the area, and there were over 16,000 power outages.