CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Less than 24 hours before the storm’s scheduled arrival, there was still a lot of uncertainty about how exactly Winter Storm Jonas would hit West Virginia.
“The key thing is this is going to be a prolonged event,” reported Faith Borden, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston.
“People need to be ready and be prepared for a prolonged event because it could snow, off and on, all the way through the day on Saturday into Saturday night in some locations.”
Winter Storm Warnings were scheduled to be in effect by Friday morning for every county in West Virginia except for Hancock, Brooke, Ohio and Marshall Counties in the Northern Panhandle.
“Remember that a warning means it is going to happen,” Borden said of the snow forecasts.
The projections ranged from 6 in. to 12 in. in southern West Virginia with the possibility of ice, to between 12 in. and 18 in. along the Interstate 64 Corridor from Huntington to Charleston, 18 in. to 24 in. in central West Virginia, around 20 in. in some of the Eastern Panhandle counties, and 24+ inches through portions of Pocahontas County and Randolph County.
There was questions Thursday about the possible snow totals along the Ohio River because of many potential storm tracks.
“Probably one of the largest challenges in this storm is you’re going to see a heavy, wet snow which is comparable to what we saw during (Superstorm) Sandy, although probably not to the extent,” said Jimmy Gianato, director of the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
“One of our biggest concerns is going to be power outages and making sure that, with the temperatures as low as they’re going to be, that people are safe.”
The West Virginia Emergency Operations Center was scheduled to open at 7 p.m. Thursday and remain open through the duration of Winter Storm Jonas to coordinate statewide storm response efforts.
Ahead of the storm, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin declared a State of Preparedness for all 55 West Virginia counties.
Storm updates, including information about shelter locations, warming stations and road closures, will be posted to Facebook on a page specifically created for Winter Storm Jonas in West Virginia.
“Over the last couple of days we’ve taken significant steps to ensure our readiness for the coming storm,” said Karen Allen, regional disaster officer for the American Red Cross in West Virginia. She said volunteers and possible emergency shelters were on standby, if needed.
Brent Walker, communications director for the West Virginia Department of Transportation, also recommended that drivers keep up to date on road conditions through West Virginia 511.
“It could come down so hard that it hinders our ability to keep up with this storm and so the expectation of seeing clear pavement, I think, is unrealistic, but we will be out there through the duration of the storm,” he said.
The focus of road crews working 12 hour shifts would remain on primary routes until Jonas’ exit from West Virginia by Sunday, according to Walker.
State Police Captain Ron Arthur said common sense will be key.
“Don’t be on the road unless you absolutely have to be on the road, if the weather hits as predicted,” he said. “If it gets as bad as everyone’s saying, unless it’s absolutely necessary, then people shouldn’t be on the roads.”