UPDATE POSTED AT 10 A.M. MONDAY: Parks and Recreation has canceled all programs scheduled for today. Basketball games and practices scheduled for this evening also are canceled. Facilities will be open for staff, but not to the public. Recreation facilities are planned to be open Tuesday.
The main library on Patton Street and the branch library on Westover Drive will close early today due to weather conditions. Both facilities will close at 5 p.m.
UPDATE AT 7 A.M. MONDAY
Here is the situation report regarding the winter storm:
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STORY POSTED 5 P.M. SUNDAY, FEB. 14
A winter storm warning by the National Weather Service is now in effect. The warning means that significant accumulations of snow, sleet and ice are expected. Snow is expected to develop tonight and continue into the midday hours on Monday before changing to sleet and freezing rain.
An accumulation of two to four inches of snow is forecast before the changeover to sleet and freezing rain. Through Monday afternoon and evening, a tenth of an inch of ice could accumulate in Danville.
Travel will be hazardous due to snow- and ice-covered roadways.
The winter storm warning will remain in effect until noon Tuesday, at which time warmer temperatures are expected to turn all precipitation to rain only.
Tonight, Public Works crews will be on duty to monitor street conditions and apply sand and salt as needed. Heavier snowfall amounts are not expected until around 4 a.m. to 5 a.m.; however, any snow received will stick immediately to street surfaces because of the low temperatures.
Snowplow crews are prepared for a round-the-clock snow removal operation. Residents are reminded that snow removal is accomplished on a priority basis. The top priority is main thoroughfares and collector streets leading to various emergency facilities. Second priorities are routes that connect to primary routes and bus routes.
Crews will begin plowing road surfaces when one inch of snow or ice has accumulated. Plowing continues only on the highest traffic volume roads until the end of the snow event. After the end of the snowfall and the primary streets are clear, crews begin plowing industrial areas, and then to roadways that connect residential areas to the primary streets, and finally to residential areas. Generally, it takes 24 to 36 hours after the snow event has ended to clear all residential streets. City crews do not clear private streets and alleys.
The City asks our residents and visitors not to park, when possible, on the streets, eliminating the chance of snowplow operators damaging vehicles and allowing for a quicker plowing operation. Motorists are advised to limit travel and stay off the streets entirely if possible. Check for newspaper, radio and television bulletins for information on road conditions.
City power and light crews also are prepared for a round-the-clock response to any outages. Electric customers whose residence or business is without power should call Danville Utilities at (434) 773-8300 to report the outage.
Jason Grey, director of utilities, said on Sunday that this storm has the potential to create widespread outages because freezing rain will form as ice on power lines and tree limbs, which weighs them down and makes them vulnerable to falling down.
“It can cause major problems,” Grey said. “We urge our customers to make sure they have warm blankets, a radio, batteries and flashlights just in case the power goes out.”
When widespread outages occur, power and light line crews first are assigned to make repairs based on restoring power to the greatest number of customers in the shortest time. As lines are repaired and crews become available, they are assigned to areas with fewer outages.
It is not always possible to determine how long a power outage will occur because of extent of damage; therefore, a customer using medical devices must make other arrangements in the event of a power outage and temporarily go to a location or medical facility that does have power.
Residents and visitors should be aware that downed power lines are dangerous. Please call 9-1-1 immediately.
Danville Transit will monitor road conditions overnight and make a decision before 6 a.m. whether to operate on regular routes or snow routes.
ORIGINAL STORY POSTED 5 P.M. THURSDAY, FEB. 11
City of Danville crews will begin pretreating main thoroughfares with brine on Friday due to the increasing potential for a winter storm on Monday and Tuesday. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook.
The decision to begin pretreating streets early was made because – much like last month’s snowstorm – low temperatures will limit the window of opportunity for applying brine before arrival of the storm.
Temperatures on Friday are expected to reach a high of 35 degrees. On Saturday and Sunday, however, temperatures will remain below freezing.
Brine is a mixture of water and salt. When applied to the road surface, the water in the brine evaporates, leaving the salt behind on the road. The salt breaks the bond between the snow and the roadway, and it therefore helps prevent the snow from freezing onto roads and bridges.
At low temperatures, however, brine can freeze to the road surface rather than evaporate.
Crews will apply brine when temperatures reach 25 degrees. It takes city crews about 10 hours to pretreat all main thoroughfares.
As of Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service’s forecast is snow likely on Monday; and on Tuesday, snow and rain. The daytime high on Monday is expected to be near 33, with an overnight low of 19. On Tuesday, warmer air will arrive in the area, with a high temperature near 46 degrees.