A large winter storm is heading for the east coast this weekend and that’s expected to leave a heavy accumulation of snow and ice. Preparations are underway by first responders and the Virginia Department of Transportation.
“VDOT crews began pretreatment operations today and will continue applying brine through Friday afternoon,” reads an alert sent out Thursday afternoon. “Crews will move into 24-hour operations as conditions develop. Snow is anticipated Saturday through Sunday night, with storm totals currently forecasted at 12 to 18 inches across the district.”
Governor Abigail Spanberger has declared an emergency in order to get resources ready to deploy.
“State agencies are mobilized, and we are working closely with local governments and utility partners,” Spanberger said. “Everyone should stay informed, avoid travel when possible, and take precautions to protect themselves and their families as this storm moves through our Commonwealth.”
Additional information is available at the website of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
Albemarle’s Deputy County Executive, Trevor Henry, briefed the Board of Supervisors Wednesday night about what was known at that time.
“We have through our emergency manager a process by which we spin up our planning efforts,” Henry said. “And so I wanted to just assure the board but also use this as a reminder to the community that they should be paying attention to this weekend.”
Henry said any snow and ice that falls may continue to be a problem as the forecast is for temperatures to remain below freezing through the end of next week. He added public safety will be ready.
“Police and fire are really looking at a Saturday morning to at least initially through Monday night,” Henry said. “That may be a longer operational period where there’s going to be additional resources.”
Henry said the county is asking residents to be prepared to be without power for up to three days. To that effect, the county set out a message this afternoon with information including a checklist for an emergency kit created by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
Soon afterward, the City of Charlottesville announced it has activated the Snow Operations Team with a description of their duty.
“The City is responsible for winter operations across approximately 165 centerline miles of roadway, 49 miles of sidewalks (including Safe Routes to School and City-owned properties), more than 45 municipal and school parking lots, City parks facilities, and the Downtown Pedestrian Mall,” reads the message.
The city has over 165 people working on snow operations as well as a sizable inventory of equipment including “25 dedicated snowplow trucks equipped with salt spreaders and brine tanks.”
Roads will be pretreated with brine and crews will begin clearing snow when necessary.
“Snow response follows a priority plan,” reads the message from the city. “Crews will begin with primary routes, including major corridors and roads critical for emergency response and transit service.”
Emergency snow routes will also be in effect as of 9 a.m. Saturday. Anyone who parks along these corridors must move their vehicle or it may be towed.
Designated Emergency Snow Routes include:
- Market Street (Old Preston Avenue to 9th Street NE)
- High Street (Preston Avenue to 9th Street NE)
- Water Street (Ridge Street to 10th Street NE)
- 2nd Street West (Market Street to Water Street)
- 4th Street East (Market Street to Water Street)
- West Main Street (Ridge Street to JPA)
- University Avenue (JPA to Rugby Road)
There will be free parking in the two municipal parking garages Friday, January 23 at 6:00 PM through Tuesday, January 27 at 8:00 AM.
For the city’s full list, click here.
VDOT is asking people to stay off of the road during the storm.
“Snow could fall heavily at times and create hazardous driving conditions,” their alert continues. “Stay off the roads during and after the storm. Travel before the storm begins and do not drive again until conditions improve. This may be a longer-duration storm, and extremely cold temperatures following the storm will keep snow and ice in place for an extended period.”
Before you go: Paid subscribers cover the cost of conducting research for this article which was originally published in the January 22, 2026 of Charlottesville Community Engagement. You can either subscribe through Substack, make a monthlycontribution through Patreon, or consider becoming a sponsor. The goal of Town Crier Productions is to increase awareness about what is happening at the local, regional, state, and federal government levels. Please share the work with others if you want people to know things.
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