CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The month of December was opening with snow in some parts of West Virginia.
The snow, which was said to be “very elevation dependent,” came courtesy of a weather system that was affecting much of the eastern United States.
“(It’s) Impacting, kind of, from us in the central Appalachians all the way up towards Maine with wintry weather impacting almost everyone,” said Mike Zwier, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston.
“We’re kind of on the southern edge of that.”
As of Monday morning, the following county areas in West Virginia were under Winter Storm Warnings for possible average snow accumulations of eight to ten inches until early Tuesday morning: southeast Fayette, southeast Nicholas, southeast Webster, northwest Pocahontas, southeast Randolph, eastern Tucker and western Greenbrier.
A Winter Storm Warning was scheduled to continue until 9 p.m. Monday in western Grant County and western Pendleton County.
Other portions of counties were under Winter Weather Advisories for snow accumulation with lower projected totals: Upshur, Barbour, Raleigh, Fayette, Nicholas, Webster, Pocahontas, Randolph, McDowell, Wyoming, Preston, Tucker, Mercer, Summers and eastern Monongalia.
Western Mineral County was part of the Winter Weather Advisory area until at least 9 p.m. Monday.
In some of the same areas, Wind Advisories were also in effect.
Public schools were closed Monday in Fayette County, Nicholas County, Raleigh County and Webster County.
There were school delays in a couple of counties.
Several counties, including Pocahontas, Greenbrier and Pendleton, were sending students home early.
The latest list of school announcements was available HERE.
“The bulk of the heavy snow will actually be this (Monday) afternoon into tonight and then it’ll taper off through the night and, maybe, even some flurries still lingering tomorrow morning up towards Snowshoe and those type of places,” Zwier said on Monday morning.
In the lowlands, Zwier said snow was mixing with rain for little, if any, accumulation.
On Sunday, heavy fog ahead of the snow and rain was said to be a factor in 29 wrecks involving 58 vehicles along a one-mile stretch of Interstate 68 west near Finzel in Garrett County, Maryland.
It took several hours to fully reopen the interstate which put heavy traffic onto Rt. 40 in the Frostburg area.
“Fortunately, (there were) no fatalities. We only transported ten people (for injuries) which is really truly amazing with the number of vehicles involved,” said Elena Russo, spokesperson for Maryland State Police.
They were treated at Western Maryland Health System in Cumberland, Md.
“We are told, hospital personnel let us know, that these were all non-life threatening injuries.”
Amanda Mangan, news director for Allegany Radio Corporation, was on I-68 on Sunday before the crashes.
“Visibility was minimal because of that thick fog,” Mangan said on Monday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”