RICHMOND, Va. -- Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency in Virginia Friday ahead of a winter storm that will impact the Commonwealth this weekend.
State emergency officials joined Northam and Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin and his team for a joint "preparation call" Friday morning.
“We expect this storm to have a significant impact in many parts of Virginia,” Northam said. “Declaring a state of emergency now allows our emergency responders to prepare, and to move supplies and equipment where they expect to need them the most. This also gives Governor-elect Youngkin the ability to respond to any storm needs swiftly. I urge Virginians to take this storm seriously and make preparations now.”
Northam said the Virginia Emergency Operations Center "has been actively monitoring the movement of a major winter weather system heading toward Virginia, with anticipated tracks showing impacts beginning Saturday evening."
Initial forecasts from the National Weather Service predict "impactful to highly impactful snow, sleet, ice, and freezing rain across broad swaths of the Commonwealth," Northam said.
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The complex winter storm will affect the entire WTVR CBS 6 viewing area on Sunday, WTVR Meteorologist Mike Stone said.
Precipitation will begin by late morning or midday as snow, and the wind will steadily increase. As warmer air aloft arrives from the east and southeast, the snow will mix with sleet and freezing rain, and then change over to all rain for much of the region. The storm will continue Sunday night and exit early Monday morning.
Officials said parts of the state are still cleaning up from back-to-back winter weather events, including power restoration and significant debris removal.
"This upcoming weather system is likely to include additional downed trees, more electrical outages, and significant impacts on travel conditions," officials warned.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for the latest updates on the storm.
