HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Two Henrico County Public Schools will open two hours late Tuesday after a line of severe thunderstorms swept through central Virginia Monday night, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes, businesses, and schools.
Twin Hickory Elementary School and Deep Run High School will both operate on a two-hour delay Tuesday, March 17, due to power outages affecting surrounding neighborhoods and school buildings, a Henrico Schools spokesperson advised early Tuesday. All other HCPS schools and offices will open on time.
"HCPS crews are out across the county this morning assessing the impact of last night's storms," the district said in a statement. "Thank you for your patience as our teams continue checking school sites."
All Louisa County schools will remain closed Tuesday, March 17 due to the storms.
"There are downed trees in roadways, road closures, downed power lines, and continued power outages scattered throughout Louisa County due to last night’s severe thunderstorms. Altogether, these conditions make it difficult for school buses to navigate our routes safely," the school system posted on social media. "Based on these conditions, Louisa County Public Schools will be closed today, Tuesday, March 17. Employees, please use Code 2."
Additionally, all Powhatan County will open two-hours late March 17.
Powhatan County says while all school have power, road closures following the storms are the reason for the school delay.
"The delay will allow for improved visibility for safer navigation for our drivers," their statement read. "We understand this may cause inconvenience for families, and we appreciate your understanding as we prioritize the safety of our school community."
The delays come after severe weather battered the region Monday evening, with wind speeds reaching up to 60 mph in areas stretching from Mechanicsville to the North Carolina border. Close to 100,000 outages were reported across Virginia at the height of the storm, according to Dominion Energy's outage map. As of midnight Tuesday, more than 77,000 customers remained without power.
Significant wind damage was reported in Goochland County, Short Pump, and the Nottoway area, with multiple trees downed and additional damage recorded in Cumberland County.
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