CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va (WRIC) — Snowfall, sleet and freezing temperatures created dangerous conditions on Chesterfield County’s roadways Sunday.
It began sleeting heavily across Chesterfield after the snow stopped falling early in the day, creating a thick icy slush on roads like Midlothian Turnpike and the roads surrounding the Westchester Commons Shopping Center.
However, the icy conditions didn’t stop drivers from pulling into the parking lot at Westchester Commons to shop at one of the local stores. Plows were seen clearing the shopping center’s parking lots and crews were salting walkways into stores.
Chesterfield Police Lieutenant Adrian Otero sent a tweet out Sunday afternoon with a traffic alert, warning others to stay off the roadways as the department is dealing with several road closures throughout the county.
With the freezing temperatures, the sleet is packing the snow in on roads that haven’t been plowed yet.
Chesterfield resident Brandon Pearson was leaving work at Westchester Commons Sunday evening. He said it hadn’t started snowing yet when he arrived to work Sunday morning, but conditions are quite different leaving work.
“I was hoping to maybe get out [of work] a little earlier. I didn’t think it was going to be as icy as it is right now,” Pearson said, worried about his drive home. “It’s really not even snow, it’s just a layer of ice on the road.”
8News crews saw several plows making their rounds, clearing Chesterfield roads. For roads that haven’t been plowed yet, sleet continues to fall on the snow-covered areas, making them almost like skating rinks.
Stormtracker 8 meteorologists expect sleeting to continue until 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday evening, when sleet will change into rain.
