MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Northcentral West Virginia was digging out Monday after winter weather again swept through the area, causing multiple accidents, slide-offs and event cancellations.
The area picked up 5-6 inches of snow Sunday.
Monongalia County MECCA 911 Executive Director Jim Smith said in a 24-hour period they responded to dozens of requests for help.
“We’ve had about 70 motorist assists; vehicles are just stuck and can’t get through the roads and about 53 vehicle accidents,” Smith said.
MetroNews Accuweather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva said the system was powerful and delivers a range of more than one foot of snow to around six inches in the lower elevations.
“There were some really big snowfall totals in ski country there—amounts of over a foot of snow in some of those higher elevations—a very impressive storm,” DaSilva said. “Around the Morgantown area we saw about six inches or so in some areas.”
The weather forced the West Virginia Black Heritage Foundation to reschedule their prayer vigil for Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. at the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church.
Smith said the holiday has many staying home, and more importantly, there are no school buses or regular business traffic on the roads, making it easier for crews from the state Department of Highways to clear roadways.
“Today is a holiday, so we don’t have a lot of traffic on the road,” Smith said. “So, that’s going to give those folks some time to get out and get them cleared better and get some treatment down on them.”
Smith said if you do have to travel Monday, allow extra time and think twice—if you can stay home, stay there.
“Take your time, go slow, and leave plenty of room between you and the vehicles around you,” Smith said. “Make sure you have good tires on your vehicle before you go out.”
DaSilva said the next system will bring record-breaking cold weather to the area with the possibility of temperatures increasing into the 30s on Thursday and the possibility of the 40s over the weekend.
“I think tomorrow night is when the coldest air will be in place,” DaSilva said. “Tomorrow night we have a low of -8 degrees, which will break the low temperature for that date, which is -5, so record-breaking cold.”