NORFOLK, Va. — The latest round of winter weather forecast for Hampton Roads is creating concerns for Dominion Energy.
"It's the type of storm that we're expecting that could cause trouble for power lines," said Dominion Energy spokesperson Cherise Newsome.
As of Monday afternoon, News 3 meteorologists were predicting heavy, wet snow for the area, in addition to rain.
Watch: VBCPS buses experience widespread mechanical issues amid winter weather
“They can cause the lines to get stiff and break. They can weigh down power lines, causing them to sag, and all that can lead to outages," Newsome explained.
On Monday afternoon, Newsome said Dominion crews and equipment were ready to respond as needed.
“Dominion Energy crews are working around the clock, and we have staged equipment and materials across our service areas. Because we serve the entire state, we’re actually sending crews from the eastern region, so Hampton Roads, to help areas that we expect to be hit a little more severely, such as the central region as well as northern Virginia," said Newsome.
Watch: Outer Banks prepares for upcoming winter weather
If power outages do occur, Dominion has a plan in place for restoring power.
“In winter weather, when there could be a lot of outages, there’s a priority that Dominion Energy uses to restore power. We will start with critical customers first, such as hospitals, first responders, and pump stations, to ensure that that critical infrastructure and those critical agencies get restored to power. Then crews will work their way into communities and neighborhoods," Newsome said.
News 3 reached out to the seven cities Monday to see how they are preparing for the winter weather.
Watch: Hampton Roads businesses, public works preparing for winter storm
As of 4 p.m. Monday, four had responded, essentially saying they were monitoring the weather and had crews and equipment ready to go as needed.
A spokesperson for the city of Hampton said the city was not pre-treating roads because of the rain and sleet in the forecast. They said the rain and sleet would wash away any brine put down, but crews were ready to respond with sand if needed.
A spokesperson for VDOT told News 3 that roads VDOT maintains were being pre-treated with brine.
Watch: VDOT, city crews, to work around the clock Monday to treat potentially icy roads
They added that, as of Monday, an estimated 19,000 pounds of salt and over 4,000 pounds of sand had been used in response to winter weather in 2025. They also said over 150,000 gallons of brine had been used.
Early Monday morning, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a statewide state of emergency ahead of the winter storm.
A few hours later, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced he had activated the state's anti-price gouging statute in response to the winter storm. This statute prevents suppliers of certain items, including food and generators, from hiking prices when a state of emergency is declared.
