A blanket of ice and snow covered coastal areas stretching from South Carolina to Virginia on Saturday after a winter weather system brought colder temperatures and precipitation not often seen in the region.
Officials urged drivers to stay off roads and highways, which forecasters said are slick and snow-covered after the storm. They also warned of black ice.
Temperatures were cold for the southeastern states. Forecasters said they would likely not exceed -1 Celsius in Virginia and much of North Carolina during the day and drop to -7 Celsius and even -12 Celsius in some places Saturday night.
By about 7 a.m. Saturday, the storm had mostly moved away from the Atlantic coast, leaving up to six inches of snow in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, forecasters said.
“The snow has stopped, the sun is high, temperatures remain below freezing and roads remain hazardous for motorists. Stay home and avoid travel today,” the Virginia Department of Transportation tweeted Saturday morning.
Snowfall in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina reflected the forecast of 10 to 15 centimeters, said Mike Montefusco, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wakefield, Virginia. He said Saturday’s cold temperatures would keep the snow from melting until at least Sunday, when temperatures were expected to reach 4 degrees Celsius.
[Con información de The Associated Press]
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