MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Snow fell in Martinsville Friday afternoon into the night, as the city prepared for what Storm Team 10 says will be 4 to 8 inches of snow accumulation by Saturday afternoon.
The higher road temperatures kept snow from sticking to the roads during the day Friday but there were patchy spots throughout the afternoon, and road crews expect to start working around midnight to clear the busiest streets.
Most people 10 News spoke to said they were welcoming the first major snowfall of the season.
"I love it. It's great, and it's early for us,” Stacy Joyce said.
Others said they planned to heed the cautions to stay off the roads.
"When the snow came I said, 'Definitely, I'm staying in,” Zonya Ledyard said.
Randy Gregory, superintendent for Martinsville Public Works, advised people not to be out driving starting late Friday night.
“Stay out of our way so we can keep the roads clear and everybody can get back on the road in the next day or two,” he said.
Gregory said crews will start treating the roads Friday night and start plowing the roads around midnight. They'll switch to clearing secondary roads when it stops snowing Saturday.
Public works employees have started their winter weather patterns, and all of them, totaling between 35 and 40 workers, will work in this 24-hour time period, in two different teams.
Police say they're prepared to have officers out monitoring all the roads and heavily trafficked areas. Maj. Rob Fincher, deputy chief at the Martinsville Police Department, says there already would have been more officers working because of the holiday time period.
"I recommend [people] stay home, go out and play in the snow, build a snowman, maybe do a little sledding and enjoy the weekend,” he said.
The inclement weather shifted at least one event Friday. The Martinsville Speedway Toy Drive was cancelled. People can still drop off toys next week, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m to 4 p.m.