Winter Weather — Central Virginia Blue Ridge, Virginia

2019-11-17 · Central Virginia Blue Ridge, Virginia

Event narrative

At 4:37 AM EST this morning on I-64 at mile marker 100 (near summit of Afton Mountain/Blue Ridge; approximately 4 miles SE Waynesboro, VA), a tractor trailer lost control and overturned. A tour bus was unable to stop and impacted the truck. Several other minor accidents ensued. The culprit is likely black ice due to freezing drizzle. EM confirmed 21 transports to hospitals, with injuries ranging from minor to serious.

Wider weather episode

Moisture from the Atlantic ocean overran surface colder air in place, resulting in some freezing drizzle and light freezing rain. Ice amounts ranged from a trace to a couple hundredths of an inch over the Blue Ridge Mountains into portions of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 866296. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.