VIRGINIA — The Virginia Department of Transportation is prepared for the potential damages of impending severe weather Monday.
First Warning Weather Chief Meteorologist Patrick Rockey said the whole area is under a risk for severe storms which includes a Level 3 threat on the Peninsulas and the Eastern Shore.
"Our biggest threat will be damaging straight-line winds," he said. "We could see gusts in excess of 70 mph as this line moves in."
Today's Forecast
First Warning Forecast: Cold front brings a brief break from the worst humidity
People should also expect intense rainfall, localized flooding, large hail, and/or brief spin-up tornadoes in the line of storms.
VDOT said its priority is the safety of travelers during the storm and that people should pay attention to local weather reports to make travel plans based on conditions.
VDOT said travelers should use extreme caution on roadways:
- Obey all “road closed” signage.
- “Turn around, don’t drown” - Do not attempt to travel through flooded roadways. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the primary causes of flood-related deaths occur to individuals driving into or walking in or near flood waters— 6 inches of flood water is enough to knock an adult off of their feet, 12 inches can move most cars, 18-24 inches can carry away most large SUVs, vans and trucks.
- Be alert to debris, downed trees and power lines.
- Move over for emergency crews operating in or near roadways.
- Be alert to High Wind Advisories, especially on bridges or taller structures. High-profile vehicles such as tractor-trailers, SUVs or box trucks are especially vulnerable and should not cross a bridge when a High Wind Advisory is posted.
The severe weather could cause downed trees, power lines, and other debris on the roads, according to VDOT. On Monday, crews said they were very busy checking storm drains and assessing tall trees which can knock out power and damage homes when we have strong winds.
Dominion Energy says power outages have especially been a major issue in the past but over the last few years.
They've been trying to change that.
Clint Melton with Dominion Energy says the company has put a lot of money into tree trimming, clearing roads, and removing hazardous trees, which Melton says sometimes isn't the height of a tree but how close it is to a line.
Depending on where you live and how severe the outage is, Melton said restoring power can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 10 hours.
Lately, Melton says the company has also been trying to make some changes to their poles and lines when we have severe weather.
"Dominion has also been on a grid hardening project the last few years and we've been beefing up our poles and our lines, and we just made things a lot stronger than they were in the old days of line work. We should be able to withstand a little more wind and things of that nature. We'll see," says Melton.
Dominion Energy also has a map to track outage times so that homeowners don't have to be left in the dark about when their power will be restored.
You can check your area by clicking the link here.
Stay away from downed wires and do not approach or touch trees or limbs that are entangled with wires as they could be extremely dangerous. VDOT must wait for the power company to remove any electrical hazard before moving on to clearing the roadway.
