Forecasters are tracking a major winter storm that could bring a foot or more of snow to the region from Saturday afternoon into Sunday evening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While exact snowfall totals may change as the system develops, officials say residents should begin storm preparations now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Road conditions are expected to deteriorate by Saturday evening, with heavy snow and reduced visibility making travel increasingly hazardous through the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The snow is expected to be followed by several days of cold weather, with daytime highs struggling to reach the mid-30s and nighttime temperatures dropping into the teens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A little preparation now could prevent serious problems later<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WINTER STORM PREPAREDNESS CHECKLIST<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n HOME PREP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Put shovels, snow brushes, ice melt and other equipment in an accessible spot <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Set faucets to drip only during prolonged cold or outages<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Know how to shut off water if pipes burst<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Charge phones, laptops, and power banks<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Bring extra blankets into living areas<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Set thermostat to a consistent temperature<\/p>\n\n\n\n POWER OUTAGE READY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Flashlights (not candles)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Extra batteries<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Battery-powered or hand-crank radio<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Safe backup heat source ready<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Carbon monoxide detector working<\/p>\n\n\n\n FOOD & WATER (AT LEAST 3 DAYS)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Drinking water (1 gallon per person per day)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Non-perishable food<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Manual can opener<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Baby food or special dietary needs<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Paper plates and utensils<\/p>\n\n\n\n MEDICAL & PERSONAL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Prescription medications refilled<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 First-aid kit<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Hygiene supplies<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Glasses, contacts, hearing aid batteries<\/p>\n\n\n\n VEHICLE PREP (IF TRAVEL IS NECESSARY)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Reminder: Stay off the roads unless travel is essential. Snowplows and emergency crews need room to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Gas tank at least half full<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Ice scraper and snow brush<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Jumper cables<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Sand, salt, or cat litter for traction<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Blanket, hat, gloves<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Snacks and water<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Phone charger or power bank<\/p>\n\n\n\n PEOPLE & PETS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Check on elderly or disabled neighbors<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Bring pets indoors<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Extra pet food and unfrozen water<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Warm, dry shelter for animals<\/p>\n\n\n\n STAY INFORMED<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Weather and emergency alerts enabled on phone<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 NOAA Weather Radio or trusted local news<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2610 Road conditions checked via 511Virginia.org<\/p>\n\n\n\n WHEN SHOULD YOU WORRY ABOUT FROZEN PIPES?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Frozen pipes are most likely when air temperatures stay at or below 20\u00b0F for several hours, especially overnight. Brief dips below freezing generally do not pose a serious risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Homes are at higher risk if pipes run along exterior walls, are located in crawl spaces or garages, or are affected by power outages that prevent heating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During prolonged cold:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep indoor temperatures above 55\u00b0F if possible<\/p>\n\n\n\n Open cabinet doors under sinks<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let faucets drip during extended sub-20\u00b0 cold or outages<\/p>\n\n\n\n Avoid unnecessary dripping during mild cold\u2014it wastes water without adding protection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Forecasters are tracking a major winter storm that could bring a foot or more of snow to the region from Saturday afternoon into Sunday evening. While exact snowfall totals may change as the system develops, officials say residents should begin storm preparations now. Road conditions are expected to deteriorate by Saturday evening, with heavy snow […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1846,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safety"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fluvannareview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27937"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fluvannareview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fluvannareview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fluvannareview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fluvannareview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27937"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fluvannareview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27938,"href":"https:\/\/fluvannareview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27937\/revisions\/27938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fluvannareview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fluvannareview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fluvannareview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fluvannareview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}