CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The second snow system has reached the state with a steady rate of it coming down in Charleston on Friday.
Charleston Public Works Director Brent Webster said 17 crews are out working their routes to clear the roads of the snow. The main roads were attended to first to get those clear for travelers, but the snow continues to fall and has made a lot of roads wet and “slushy.”
“We’re having a very difficult time keeping up with it,” Webster said Friday morning. “We’re salting and plowing and I wouldn’t be surprised if we had less than 4 inches in some areas.”
The National Weather Service (NWS) said Charleston got 3-4 inches of snow overnight Thursday. The city is expected to get another 1-2 inches starting Friday afternoon. Total snow accumulations for the capital city will be around 5-6 inches heading into Saturday.
More than 30 counties in West Virginia are under a winter storm warning. That was issued by the NWS and it will last until Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
Gov. Jim Justice also issued a state of emergency for the entire state because of the snowfall.
Webster predicts that crews will be out on Saturday and may be going through their routes into the afternoon. A few of their trucks and pieces of equipment broke down to put some crews behind when tending to the roads Friday morning, however that equipment was fixed to get those crews back on the roads.
While driving through the primary roads in Charleston Friday morning, Webster said they’re “passable,” but some of the lesser-traveled roads still need plowed.
“They’re okay, they’re passable, but a lot of the secondary streets are pretty tough,” said Webster.
Webster added that drivers need to remain patient and drive safe. Some areas may have gotten up to 5 inches of snow from Thursday night’s system.
“All of the routes are covered but we’re still monitoring the forecast,” he said.