Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 18, 1994 TAG: 9401180206
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But there was some good news for Western Virginia, as the brunt of an expected storm passed to the east and temperatures held steady.
The National Weather Service said that forecasted low temperatures, combined with the ice, could be a dangerous if ice-coated power lines gave way and people lost heat.
But the Applachian Power Co. reported no major problems Monday night. Victoria Ratcliff, administrative assistant for Apco's Roanoke division, said 100 customers - 50 in the Poages Mill area of Roanoke County - were without power for a short time, but service was restored quickly.
Apco's Pulaski division reported no outages Monday night.
Tonight's forecast calls for temperatures near zero, with a wind chill index of 30 to 40 below. Wind chill is a measure of the combined effect of wind and temperatures.
"Temperatures may be a bit colder than they were" over the weekend, said Mark Cunningham, a Weather Service meteorologist.
Apco reported that Saturday night's electrical-power use was the highest in its history, eclipsing Dec. 22, 1989, at the peak of a four-day period when temperatures dropped into the single digits.
The 1989 cold snap was the last prolonged period when temperatures in the region dropped well below freezing.
Apco crews have been on standby since late last week, when weather forecasters started predicting that arctic air would swirl into the region on the back of a low-flying jet stream.
Roanoke Gas Co. also reported that Sunday's use set an all-time high. The gas company distributed 76,979 million cubic feet of gas. That compared to the previous record of 65,862 million cubic feet, also on Dec. 22, 1989.
Gas company employees worked around the clock and went to dozens of homes to relight furnaces.
Meanwhile, there's little hope that rising temperatures will thaw icy roadways soon. Temperatures are expected to remain in the 20s or below until Friday.
On Monday, traffic was light around the area as banking employees and government workers observed Lee-Jackson-King Day.
Police were poised to ticket those who drove on icy streets without snow tires and chains.
Police dispatchers were busy Monday night answering calls of minor wrecks and stranded motorists. Public works calls were up as well.
A major problem was breaks in water mains made fragile by three days of subfreezing temperatures. City crews had responded to calls on at least three broken mains since Friday.
The Weather Service reported that 0.76 inch of freezing precipitation - mainly sleet - fell between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday.
Roanoke police said some shopping malls appeared deserted Monday afternoon, except for the area around grocery stores where customers flocked to buy last-minute staples.
Even the grocery stores were having problems.
Only half the employees of the Harris-Teeter store at Towers Shopping Center showed up for work.
"The ones working tonight have already called in and said `forget it,'" said Gary Powers, the store's manager. "Believe it or not, some customers are still straggling in."
Air traffic also was feeling the chill. Roanoke Regional Airport closed shortly before 5 p.m.
Along Interstate 81 between Christiansburg and Roanoke, traffic was moving slowly as snow plows barreled by, pushing waves of ice off the side of the road.
Several deserted cars were strewn about as motorists attempted to make it home before the brunt of the storm hit.
Virginia Tech administrators decided at noon Monday to cancel today's first day of 1994 classes - even as long lines of students made schedule changes, picked up financial aid checks and took care of other first-day-of-the-semester business.
Radford University shut down at 3 p.m. Monday. Administrators had not decided Monday evening how to handle today's classes.
Staff writer Todd Jackson provided information for this story.
by CNB