LAST BIG ONE IN '89: LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, February 26, 1993                   TAG: 9302260380
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DIANE SIMPSON AND STEPHEN FOSTER STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
LAST BIG ONE IN '89: LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW
Western Virginians watched the skies Thursday, waiting to see if predictions for the first real snow in three years would come true - or just amount to so much slush.
"Don't worry - it's coming," was the word from the National Weather Service's Kane Galleo.
By Thursday night, it looked as if the forecasters had this one right.
"Everybody's out. We're going to be open all night," said a dispatcher at the Virginia Department of Transportation. The department had issued at least a "Code 3" warning - advising travelers to use snow tire or chains if they had to be on the roads - for all 12 counties in the Salem district.
State police in Wytheville reported several minor accidents on snowy roads.
In the Roanoke Valley, though, dispatchers reported very few accidents.
Earlier in the day, residents were bustling about, talking about what was predicted to be Western Virginia's biggest snowstorm since 1989.
Shoppers stocked up on food or rented videos to nestle in for the anticipated storm. Others bought snow shovels to dig their way out once it hit.
Diane Rosenberg bought two snow shovels at Kroger's at Tanglewood Mall on her way to work "to keep the snow away. . . . I'm trying to get real prepared," she said.
But Rosenberg wondered if her efforts were worth it. "Perhaps it won't come," she said.
Jane Parker ventured out "to have fun food for the snow. . . . I have to be able to have soup, pumpkin cake and wine," she said.
A new Cadillac "with good treads" reassured Bill Spangler of Floyd that he could get around in the snow. He looked forward to it. "I think all the young kids want to see the snow," he said.
Jonathan Soderberg, 6, sure did. "The last time it snowed I was pretty disappointed," he said. Jonathan's mother, Laurel, decided to shop at Food Lion off Ogden Road in Roanoke County a day earlier than usual because of the predicted snow.
"It's kind of hectic," said Food Lion cashier Jay Evans. "It's been a little underhanded today. We've got a lot to do."
Liz Petty rented movies at Blockbuster Video on Electric Road near Starkey Road for her two daughters, who have not been able to play in the snow this year. "I want it to snow," she said. "Every time it snows, it just rains on top of the snow."
Snow began to fall in Southwest Virginia on Thursday afternoon; the Weather Service was predicting up to 8 inches would fall.
At Mountain Lake resort in Pembroke, front desk clerk Bill Wheeler said the first flakes began falling about 3 p.m.
"Everybody up here is talking about staying inside and staying warm," he said.
But then, the resort - with temperatures below 20 degrees and a lake covered with ice - still had snow left from last weekend, Wheeler said.
Roanoke County began seeing its first flakes about 7 p.m.
The Weather Service said in winter storm warnings that the heavy snowfall was expected to move slowly across the state. More than a foot of snow hit the Midwest on Wednesday.
Accumulations in many places were no more than an inch or two Thursday evening, but the Weather Service said that as much as 4 inches could cover the ground by this morning, with an additional 3 to 5 inches coming today.
Galleo said a low-pressure system probably would pass to along the North Carolina-Virginia border around noon today; and the snow would get heavier, then blow itself out.
Our last big snowfall was in December 1989, when 11 inches fell in parts of Western Virginia.
"It's going to be a good one this time," said Jack Garrison, 74, at Harris Teeter supermarket at Towers Mall. "I've got a front-wheel-drive and I'm ready to go."
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by Archana Subramaniam by CNB