Coming storm to be cold and quick

Dec. 22—Gov. Jim Justice has declared a state of emergency in all 55 counties in West Virginia ahead of a forecast winter storm.

The National Weather Service has the entire state under a wind chill watch as a winter storm system approaches that could make it feel like -25 or colder from early Friday morning through Christmas Eve afternoon.

"Dangerously cold wind chills with wind gusts up to 40 mph possible. Wind chills as low as 25 below zero," a Wednesday evening advisory from the Weather Service said. "The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 20 minutes. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches."

Most of the state will see rain Thursday but the Greenbrier Valley, Potomac Highlands and Eastern Panhandle have been placed under advisories and warnings for possible freezing precipitation.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Francis Kredensor told MetroNews that arctic winds will move into the state early Friday morning bringing with them snow but it will be quick-moving.

"We'll have a very sharp temperature drop that's going to be a very quick change to a quick-hitting heavy burst of snow and it will only be like a three-to-four-hour window of snowfall before it begins to clear out on the backside," Kredensor said.

Crews in the West Virginia Department of Transportation's Division of Highways (WVDOH) are ready to treat the roads and help keep motorists safe during the holiday weekend.

The National Weather Service in Charleston said an arctic front will blast through the state late Thursday night and Friday morning causing a rapid temperature plunge and rain changing to a burst of heavy snow. The forecast winter weather means it'll likely be a white Christmas around the Mountain State.

"We remain prepared for a winter storm," Jimmy Wriston, secretary of the West Virginia Department of Transportation, said in a press release. "We conduct dry runs in October. We are fully stocked on salt and abrasives. Our trucks have been prepped for months and we are as ready as we can be for this upcoming storm."

Justin Smith, WVDOH district engineer for District 3, said in wintry conditions motorists should slow down, stay back at least 100 feet from snowplows, "don't crowd the plow," and use common sense.

In the release, Smith said his district, which consists of Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt, and Wood counties, and its workers are on alert for the weather. He said workers are flexible based on the size of the district.

"There is a series of callouts that they'll be standing ready for so we'll be prepared for it when the storm comes," Smith said.

"We also have people out on the highways at all times looking for situations."

Tony Clark, WVDOH district engineer for District 6 ,said his employees in Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Tyler, and Wetzel counties will be out no matter the date on the calendar.

"Our employees are dedicated," Clark said. "They will respond as needed."

Lee Thorne, WVDOH district engineer for District 5, echoed Clark's statement about the dedication of WVDOH drivers. District 5 covers Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, and Morgan counties.

"We have a lot of dedicated employees ready to serve the public," Thorne said.

There are approximately 1,080 SRIC trucks mounted with snow-fighting equipment around the state belonging to the WVDOH. Over the past two winter seasons, WVDOH crews have used an average of 250,000 tons of salt and 1.3 million gallons of de-icing liquid (salt brine) to clear the roads.

All roads maintained by the WVDOH fit into one of four priorities. The Interstate, Expressway, National Highway System, and all other United States and West Virginia routes are Priority 1 routes in a Snow Removal and Ice Control strategy.

Some Priority 1 routes also include high-traffic county routes. Priority 2 routes are all other school bus routes that are not considered Priority 1. Priority 3 routes are the remaining routes, not including park and forest routes. Priority 4 routes are park and forest routes.

For the latest updates and information on travel conditions throughout West Virginia, visit wv.511.org.