Southern storm leaves icy roads, power outages

Crews working to restore power to thousands.

RICHMOND, Va. — A day after a winter storm dumped several inches of snow on a handful of southern states, crews worked Monday to restore power to tens of thousands of customers as police responded to dozens of accidents on slippery roads.

The storm brought as much as 9 inches of snow to some areas on Sunday as it powered its way from Kentucky and Tennessee to West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. The storm system pushed off the coast early Monday.

The Richmond TimesDispatch reported that despite clearing on major roads and reduced traffic flow because of Presidents Day weekend, state police responded to dozens of accidents Monday morning, including a crash involving a tractor-trailer on Interstate 64.

Officials warned that icy spots remained a hazard on bridges, overpasses and ramps. The Richmond area received 2 to 5 inches of snow.

In North Carolina, cars were sliding off the road in the Raleigh area on Monday morning, according to The News & Observer. In one fender-bender, a car slid and struck the cruiser of a police officer who was investigating another accident. The State Highway Patrol reported more than two dozen morning collisions in Wake County alone.

Meanwhile, power crews were busy working to restore power on Presidents Day.

Appalachian Power Co. reported that about 56,000 customers in Virginia and West Virginia remained without power at lunchtime Monday, down from about 66,000 the night before. Dominion Energy had reduced the number of outages in its coverage area, including Richmond, to fewer than 1,000.

Kentucky Power reported on its website that more than 33,000 customers were without electricity at midday Monday. The company said more than 340 crew members were working to restore power.

“Trees, weighed by heavy snow, in already saturated ground, may continue to lose their rootings and branches leading to additional outage cases,” Kentucky Power warned customers.

In northern Tennessee, about 20 vehicles were involved in crashes along a three-mile stretch of Interstate 75 near the Kentucky border on Sunday afternoon.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Sgt. Stacy Heatherly said the crashes were reported shortly before 2 p.m. in near “white-out” conditions caused by heavy snowfall and fog.

Police said a youth was seriously injured.