2025’s opening act brings major snowfall to Rappahannock County

More snow possible for weekend

Rappahannock County employees and students were able to enjoy about eight inches of snow that fell earlier this week as life as we knew it shut down — county offices closed, students got an extended winter break and most businesses took a day off for the first big snow of the year.

About eight inches to a foot of snow and sleet fell in 36 hours across the Culpeper District, which includes Rappahannock County, according to estimates from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). 

“While we’re still cleaning up from the weekend storm, simultaneously our district leadership team is also watching the forecast for another winter weather event that may arrive Friday into Saturday,” VDOT spokesperson Lou Hatter wrote in an email Tuesday to the Rappahannock News. “There are tentative plans to brine roads again on Thursday.”

VDOT and its contractors used nearly 750 snow plows and other removal equipment in the snow response in the nine county Culpeper District. 

“Planning for the event began several days before when the magnitude of the storm became clear,” Hatter wrote. “This was an all hands on deck event. The district remains in emergency response operations, with crews working 12-hour shifts.” 

He said at this point, VDOT is concerned that the low temperatures over the next few days, particularly at night, will freeze any moisture on the roads into black ice.

“VDOT cautions those who are driving overnight or early in the morning to drive with extreme care and expect to encounter patches of black ice or frozen slush on roads, especially rural secondary roads,” he wrote.

 The Virginia State Police responded to 68 vehicle crashes in the Culpeper District from Sunday evening until Tuesday morning. The most accidents were reported on Monday from 4-11 a.m. with 33 crashes and one reported injury. 

The snow also comes at a time when farmers and residents have been grappling with the effects of an ongoing drought — since last fall, the county has been classified by the U.S. Drought Monitor as being in a drought with varying severities. 

As of Dec. 31, the last time the monitor was updated, the county was experiencing a “moderate drought,” the lowest ranking out of four classifications. 

“Melting the snow is like putting a very nice sprinkler out, rather than opening a hose and just opening it on one plant,” said local meteorologist Bob Ryan. “If we get slow melting, once we get above freezing, it could be more helpful to the soil moisture than getting two inches of rain from a thunderstorm over an hour.”

Ryan said this particular storm was “very well forecast” when it came to the predicted snowfall and timing.

“If we were having this talk 50 years ago, it wouldn’t have been possible to forecast that storm with the detail that we had,” he said.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin last Friday declared a state of emergency for Virginia ahead of the storm. The governor’s declaration followed a quick Friday afternoon band of snow showers and squalls, with “thundersnow” reported across Northern Virginia. Accumulations were light and there were no major accidents reported.

The storm came a few days after the anniversary of the Jan. 3, 2022 winter storm that left thousands across Virginia without power and shut down a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 95 for more than 36 hours.

The Board of Supervisors had to postpone its Monday meeting to Wednesday, Jan. 8. Representatives from All Points Broadband were scheduled to appear at the evening meeting to give an update on the regional project. See below for highlights of the meeting:

Staying the night through a storm: Local workers go above and beyond

If you happen to live in Amissville, be sure to thank local workers at the post office and animal shelter.

Amissville Postmaster Emma Lawson lives in Front Royal and was determined to make it to work Monday morning. She didn’t want to risk driving through Chester Gap, so she drove through Marshall and Warrenton, taking her about two and a half hours one way. 

“I had to go the long way — it took me two and a half hours,” Lawson said. “I left at like 3:30 in the morning…. It was crazy.”

To be sure she would be there alongside Lawson on Monday, postal clerk Lisa Jewell, who lives in Culpeper, slept on a comforter on the floor in the women’s bathroom, where the heat was running the highest. Lawson said Jewell drove to the post office Sunday night at the first sign of snow.

Lawson said “we tried” to run regular mail service on Monday despite the snowy conditions and roads.

“Jan Makela came in here last night, and bless her heart, she ordered us an air mattress to keep here,” Lawson said.

A night at RAWL

Carlie Ryals temporarily moved into the shelter of the Rappahannock Animal Welfare League (RAWL) at the Amissville refuse and recycling center to care for the dogs waiting to be rescued.

“It makes me feel good knowing that they are all taken care of no matter what the circumstances are,” Ryals said. “And I like to be sure that my coworkers are able to stay safe and not have to take any risks by driving in the weather. It was rather quiet and peaceful and I was able to get our newer dogs to open up to me more in the time I spent with them which was very rewarding.” 

Foothills Forum reporter Ireland Hayes contributed to this report.

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