Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 7, 1990 TAG: 9004070410
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Harrisonburg had almost 5 inches of snow by Friday night. Other areas reporting snow included Staunton and Charlottesville.
Road crews were out Friday night putting salt on primary routes, particularly interstate highways, said Jack Osborne, resident engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation.
A blown fuse and a downed electric line shut off power for a couple of hundred Virginia Power customers in the Fishersville and Waynesboro areas, a worker said.
The entire Skyline Drive closed about 8:30 p.m. Friday because of the snow.
The unusual weather comes as a bit of a surprise to area weather watchers.
"We're in a crazy situation," said Clayton Towers, a weather watcher at Dale Enterprise in Rockingham County, where 3 inches of snow had fallen by sundown.
Towers said Friday's snow was the third snowstorm in a row to follow on the heels of a warm day.
Thursday the high temperature was 64 degrees, followed by snow Friday with the high temperature recorded at 49 degrees at 8 a.m. On March 23 the area reported a high temperature of 69 degrees, yet the next morning the valley received 3 1/2 inches of snow. On March 19 the high temperature was 62 degrees and on March 20, the valley got 1 3/4 inches of snow.
The forecast from the National Weather Service calls for gradual clearing today except some light showers or snow flurries over the southeast during the morning. Highs will range from the 40s to near 50 with lows in the 20s and 30s. Sunday is expected to be sunny and milder with highs in the 50s.
by CNB