Heavy rains fall across western Va.; flooding possible

By Staff Reports

Published: January 7, 2009

Heavy rains continued to blanket much of western Virginia this morning, and ice glazed the trees along the Blue Ridge north of Buena Vista, according to the National Weather Service in Blacksburg.

The rain prompted schools in Bath and Highland counties to open two hours late.

Weather Service meteorologist Anita Silverman said most areas of Southwest Virginia have received between 11/2 and 21/2 inches of rain in the past 48 hours. "We've got a few streams and rivers coming up, but no flooding yet," she said. "But we've got places where it's close."

There were no reports of icy roads, and the ice that accumulated on treetops along the Blue Ridge and in the Alleghany Highlands melted after sunrise as temperatures climbed into the 40s and 50s.

-- Rex Bowman