LIGHT AREA SNOWFALL TURNS GROUND WHITE, ROADS SLICK

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

DATE: SUNDAY, January 26, 1992                   TAG: 9201260132
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: E3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR and CURT RICHERT STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
LIGHT AREA SNOWFALL TURNS GROUND WHITE, ROADS SLICK
Southwest Virginia was teased Saturday into believing that true winter weather had finally arrived.
Snow began falling over most of the region about 8 p.m. It wasn't enough to pack a decent snowball, but just the right amount to bend a few fenders.
In Roanoke, one hour after the snowfall started, it stopped. But soon after the first snowflakes hit the pavement, one accident occured near the Williamson Road viaduct and another at 10th Street and Williamson Road, Roanoke police said.
Further north, in Alleghany County, roads were slickened by a one-inch dusting. Sgt. J.P. Kearn, with the county Sheriff's Department, said he was advising residents to stay put.
Charles Edwards, a specialist with the National Weather Service, said the snow merely passed over the region, just ahead of a low pressure system moving through the area. Edwards estimated that 0.3 to 0.4 of an inch had fallen at Roanoke Regional Airport.
While roadsides may be white with snow, roads were expected to stay clear, although there would be some icy spots if temperatures drop as expected to the mid-20s, Edwards said.
Today was expected to be clear with highs in the low 40s.
Traffic was snarled around the Roanoke Civic Center for a sold-out Michael Bolton concert and a nearly sold-out performance of the play "Oh! Calcutta" between 7 and 8 p.m. But Civic Center Manager Bob Chapman said things couldn't have run any smoother - snow or no snow.
"It made it unpleasant for people who had to walk any distance," Chapman said, referring to those who crammed the Hotel Roanoke parking lot. "Other than that, we've had no problems because the snow hasn't been so severe."

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB