winter Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Justice Wages ‘All-Out Assault’ On West Virginia’s Potholes

Gov. Jim Justice announced he would use an upcoming spell of warm weather to tackle an increase in potholes on West Virginia roadways, with the help of a Putnam County asphalt plant.

With clear weather on the horizon, Gov. Jim Justice said that he will launch an “all-out assault” on potholes, with goals to repair the worst on state roadways in the week ahead.

Justice announced the initiative, dubbed “Operation RIP Potholes,” in a Wednesday press briefing, with the AI-generated graphic of a headstone beside him on the livestream. He accredited the move toward road repair to the upcoming clear weather, and the winter storm that exacerbated road damage earlier this month.

Typically, West Virginia asphalt plants close for the winter because it is difficult to fill potholes in freezing conditions.

But Justice said the clear weather presents an opportunity for the state. He partnered with an asphalt plant in Putnam County, which agreed to temporarily reopen for the week or so ahead to repair severe road damages.

Justice has also made arrangements with asphalt plants in Princeton and Morgantown to join the project beginning Feb. 5, according to a Wednesday press release.

The state is currently patching potholes with hot asphalt mix in 10 West Virginia counties — Boone, Cabell, Clay, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, Mingo, Putnam and Wayne counties, specifically — according to Jake Bumgarner, operations division director for the West Virginia Department of Highways. Bumgarner delivered an update on Justice’s project during the press briefing.

Additionally, Bumgarner said that the state is working to fill potholes with cold mix asphalt in all 55 counties. Cold mix asphalt is a cheaper, less durable material typically used as a short-term pothole fix.

Justice added that this winter he experienced first-hand the dangers posed by potholes.

“Just the other day… as I was coming down the turnpike, there was a series of four or five (potholes) and they were really bad,” Justice said. “It could cause big-time wrecks.”

Potholes can form when freezing road conditions are followed by sudden spells of warmth, like last week’s winter storm.

“That freeze-thaw cycle is heck on our roads,” Bumgarner said.

With climate change raising temperatures statewide, researchers say these conditions are likely to continue in years ahead. For now, Justice said his administration is doing what it can to address potholes on a case-by-case basis.

“I know that they’re tough on your vehicles, and we’re trying,” he said. “We’re absolutely trying, and we’re going to try even harder.”

Safeguarding Against Winter Wandering In People With Dementia

In light of recent winter weather, national and local dementia specialists encourage caretakers to reinforce safety precautions for loved ones who are prone to wandering.

As another West Virginia winter roars on, state and national specialists remind residents to reinforce safety precautions for their loved ones with dementia.

Individuals with dementia face more safety risks in periods of inclement weather, like the snowstorms that swept the Midwest and East Coast this weekend. Wandering away from home without preparing for low temperatures and icy conditions can increase the risk of falling, getting lost or becoming seriously injured outside.

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) recently shared tips for taking care of individuals with dementia during the winter.

The AFA underscored the importance of keeping watch over home exit ways and developing a customized safety plan for each individual. These plans should take into account the makeup of a person’s home, the times of day when their condition worsens and the locations they might visit while wandering.

Taking advance precautions during spells of intense weather helps protect West Virginia residents with dementia, according to Joanie Maloney, family caregiver program manager for Kanawha Valley Senior Services.

Maloney explained that wandering can occur year-round, but that “it’s just a lot more on the dangerous side if the weather is extremely cold or extremely hot.”

Dressing loved ones with dementia appropriately for the weather — regardless of whether they plan to go outside — is another way family caretakers can reduce the risks of unexpected wandering, she said.

By providing these individuals cold-weather clothing and foot coverings, Maloney said that caretakers safeguard their loved ones from frostbite and other weather-related risks associated with cold-weather wandering.

“Definitely go ahead and dress them for the occasion,” she said.

Maloney added that the winter months are a good time to reinforce house locks and at-home safety features, ensuring that precautions are in place to support loved ones during the winter months and beyond.

“Safety is key,” she said. “ No one ever wants their loved one to be exposed to any kind of harsh weather, especially the cold.”

Winter Weather Covers West Virginia

West Virginia is under a Winter Storm Warning from the National Weather Service and a State of Emergency from Gov. Jim Justice.

The entire state of West Virginia is under either a winter weather advisory or a winter storm warning.

“We have got a winter storm warning for much of our forecast area,” Simone Lewis, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Charleston, said. “So pretty much the whole state of West Virginia has either got a winter storm warning or a winter weather advisory and that’s for late this evening, lasting through Saturday morning.”

Starting at 7 p.m. on Jan. 18 and lasting through 10 a.m. Saturday morning, Jan. 20 heavy snow is expected with a possible accumulation of four to 12 inches, depending on the region.

“We are expecting a general four to six inches, and that includes down in the southern coalfields also. And then once you get into the mountainous counties, we’re expecting eight to 12 inches,” Lewis said.

Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for all 55 West Virginia counties ahead of the storm on Thursday afternoon. The State of Emergency allows state agencies to coordinate ahead of a possible weather event, including by pre-positioning personnel, vehicles, equipment and other assets.

“All West Virginians need to absolutely be ready for the potential impact this winter storm may bring to our state,” Justice said. “West Virginians should pay extra close attention to emergency officials and media outlets, and be prepared if there are power outages. West Virginians take care of one another, so make sure you check on your neighbors and loved ones, too.”

The wind chill is expected to be 16 degrees on Friday before it drops to -2 degrees on Saturday morning. Lewis said by Saturday, the heaviest accumulations will generally be over with.

“It’d be probably about mid to late evening and lasting through much of the day Friday,” Lewis said. “Saturday, the system will start to pull off to the east, but we will continue to see some lingering light snow shower activity across the state.”

The West Virginia Emergency Management Division (WV EMD) has been placed on standby to support the State Emergency Operations Center should the need arise.

EMD has posted non-emergency numbers for each county 911 center.

The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) crew continues their snow removal and ice control operations.

“We are prepared for any snowfall event, whether it’s an inch of snow or a foot of snow,” said Joe Pack, P.E., WVDOH chief engineer of District Operations. “We attack each storm with the same level of importance of having every available truck on the road, with a driver in it, plow mounted on it, and salt in the back.”

Statewide, WVDOH has a stockpile of more than 231,000 tons of salt. A typical snowplow holds 12 tons of salt, enough to treat about 100 lane miles of road.

Winter Solstice Means More Daylight Ahead

Dec. 21 marks the shortest day and longest night of the year for the Northern Hemisphere.

It is the start of astronomical winter, which lasts from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox around March 20. Astronomical winter is not to be confused with meteorological winter which encompasses December through February, the coldest months of the year. Nor should it be mixed up with solar winter, which is defined as the quarter of the year with the least amount of daylight and lasts from Nov. 6 to Feb. 3 in the Northern Hemisphere.

The exact time and date of the solstice changes slightly each year thanks to the planet’s tilt, as well as its elliptical, imperfect orbit around the Sun. It most often falls on Dec. 21, though sometimes occurs Dec. 22 and rarely can happen as early as Dec. 20 or as late as Dec. 23

The winter solstice occurs at the moment the earth’s tilt away from the sun is at a maximum. According to the National Weather Service in Charleston, the exact moment occurs Thursday night at 10:27 PM when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, located at 23.5° south of the equator.
Daylight will start to increase after the solstice, and West Virginia will have a full extra minute of sun by Dec. 27.

Application Period Opens For W.Va. Home Heating Assistance

West Virginia residents who need help with their home heating bills this winter can apply for another round of financial help from the Department of Health and Human Resources. The relief comes as the colder months are setting in and the economic future is uncertain, due to the pandemic.

Applications opened Monday for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program, which will help pay heating bills for qualifying West Virginia homes for one month.

The heating assistance program occurs each year, but the DHHR said it expects more applications than normal due to hardships from the pandemic this year.

This season’s LIEAP program is funded through the CARES Act, federal COVID-19 relief aid distributed to states in the spring and summer, and is supplemented with a recent federal grant of more than $28.6 million, according to the DHHR.

Many LIEAP qualifying households received two additional heating support payments this year due to the pandemic. Additionally, money from the CARES Act was distributed to those who could not afford utilities during the first four months of the pandemic. After a voluntary hiatus, beginning July 1, West Virginia utility companies reinstated service shutoffs.

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin said in a news release that about 48,000 West Virginians will need heating assistance this winter.

To see if you qualify for West Virginia’s Low Income Energy Assistance Program, go to the website — wvpath.org.

Winterplace and Timberline Ski Areas Open Friday

Skiers and snowboarders heading to the mountains of West Virginia this weekend will find two more of the state’s major ski resorts open for the season. Winterplace and Timberline open Friday, December while Canaan Valley will open Saturday, December 20. Snowshoe Mountain has been open since November 26. Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, which offers one slope for guests, will begin the season when weather permits.

Along with the natural snow in the mountains, temperatures in the higher elevations have been cold enough this week for snow making operations. Ski Association spokesman Joe Stevens says that allows all of the resorts to provide excellent early season conditions, as the all-important holiday season looms later this month.

Resorts in the mountain state annually attract over 800,000 skier visits and numbers have been strong during the first couple weeks of the season. “It’s the time of year all of the resort operators look forward to getting open and have skiers and snowboarders head to the slopes,” says Terry Pfeiffer, President of the West Virginia Ski Areas Association and President of Winterplace. The top states providing skiers and snowboarders to West Virginia slopes are Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio and Florida.