RICHMOND, Va. — Crews are ramping up preparations across Central Virginia as the region braces for its first snowfall of the season, with a winter weather advisory in effect from midnight Friday for the entire CBS 6 viewing area.
"Crews and contractors have been pretreating major roadways with a brine solution to help prevent a bond from forming between pavement and snow or ice," officials with the Virginia Department of Transportation's Fredericksburg District said Thursday.
As precipitation begins overnight and continues into Friday, crews will patrol and treat state-maintained roads with salt and sand. Into the evening hours, crews will treat for potential refreeze of wet pavement as snow and ice melt during the day.
"Be sure to give crews space to work," officials said.
A storm system will spread snow into Central Virginia overnight into Friday morning. Some accumulation will occur by daybreak, with snow continuing in the morning.
The main batch of snow will taper off during the mid to late morning. Some scattered flurries and snow showers will be possible into early afternoon. Final snowfall accumulations for many areas will fall in the 1 to 3 inch range, but some localized 4 inch totals are possible.
As the snow ends, there may be a period of fog with some light rain or some freezing drizzle during the afternoon, and this could put a light glaze of ice on top of the snow.
WATCH: How much snow Central Virginia could see from Friday storm
VDOT officials said crews will work to clear interstates and most primary roads first and then shift focus to major secondary roads. After that, low-volume secondary roads and subdivision streets will be treated.
Drivers were urged to check road conditions and "delay travel or take it slow for both morning and evening commutes on Friday," VDOT officials said.
"Slick spots are most likely to occur first on elevated surfaces, such as bridges, ramps and overpasses," officials warned.
Drivers can monitor road conditions by using 511 Virginia.
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Depend on the CBS 6 Weather Authority to keep you ahead of the storm. Watch CBS 6 News and stay with WTVR.com for complete coverage of this winter blast.
