6 a.m. update

Rain and ice are making early morning commutes treacherous.

Minor accidents, downed trees and disabled vehicles have been reported across The Herald’s coverage area.

Central Virginia Electric Cooperative is reporting 16 customers without power in Buckingham and two in Prince Edward.

Public schools in Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward are closed Tuesday. Fuqua School is closed Tuesday, and Southside Virginia Community College will open at 10:30 a.m.

“Heavy rain, ice and slush, in addition to snow-covered secondary roads have created more travel troubles this morning and motorists are urged to delay travel in the 10-county Lynchburg District of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT),” said Paula Jones, a spokeswoman for the agency.

“The combination of slush and heavy rain has resulted in the ponding of water on roads and the rain is falling so hard at times that visibility can become difficult. In addition, VDOT crews are dealing with a number of trees brought down by the accumulation of ice.”

Crews are continuing to work 12-hour shifts to address roadway conditions, Jones said.

8 p.m. update

Although the storm is mostly over, a winter storm warning remains in effect until 4 a.m. Tuesday for the Heart of Virginia.

5 p.m. update

Freezing rain and snow Monday has closed schools in Buckingham and Cumberland for Tuesday.

While the major snowfall is over, icy precipitation will continue to fall and road conditions are likely to be dangerous, according to VDOT.

“Crews in the 10-county Lynchburg District … are continuing to work 12-hour shifts to address roadway conditions,” VDOT spokeswoman Paula Jone said. “During periods of sleet and freezing rain abrasives will be used to help with traction; however, the best advice for motorists is not to travel, if at all possible.”

Freezing rain and rain is forecasted for tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

School leaders are set to make decisions tonight and tomorrow morning on the closing of local schools.

State police reports that in the Appomattox Division, 46 crashes have been reported as of 2 p.m., along with 29 disabled vehicles. Two of the crashes were in Buckingham and Appomattox, injuring a total of seven people.

2 p.m. update

The snow, freezing rain and sleet has stopped falling in parts of the Heart of Virginia.

Across Southside Virginia, residents are beginning to dig out of the three-plus inches Winter Storm Olympia dumped across the area.

Few accidents have been reported across The Herald’s coverage area.

Only power outage has been reported in the area. Dominion outage maps show one outage in Buckingham County.

VDOT crews remain out, clearing roads and highways.

Another band of freezing rain is expected Monday evening.

12 p.m. update

Winter Storm Olympia has already dumped over three and a half inches of snow on the Heart of Virginia and freezing rain and sleet has started to fall in some areas.

“Roads continue to be snow covered throughout much of south-central Virginia today in Lynchburg District of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT),” spokeswoman Paula Jones said. “VDOT crews have been working throughout the night will continue to do so as the storm continues. Some reports of mixed precipitation are being reported and freezing rain is expected; this will likely make travel conditions dangerous. Drivers are encouraged to avoid travel if at all possible until the storm is over and crews have been able to make more progress on roads.”

Longwood University has announced it will be closed on Monday. Schools in Cumberland, Buckingham and Prince Edward are closed Monday.  All locations of Southside Virginia Community College are closed Monday. Many local government offices are also closed.

As of this morning at around 8:30 a.m., Virginia State Police were on the scene of approximately 62 traffic crashes across the state. Approximately 19 disabled vehicles have been reported, according to spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

Troopers in Division Three, which includes the counties of Charlotte, Prince Edward, Lunenburg, Buckingham and Cumberland, have responded to 13 traffic crashes across the area.

According to the NWS, Central and South Central Virginia should prepare for possibly 2-4 inches of snow and up to two tenths of an inch of ice.

“A very cold airmass will remain over the region today,” a 10 a.m. Virginia Department of Emergency (VDEM) release stated. “Widespread winter precipitation is expected through the night.”

9 a.m. update

Winter Storm Olympia has already dumped over three inches of snow in the Heart of Virginia.

The area remains under a Winter Storm Warning, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Longwood University has announced it will be closed on Monday. Schools in Cumberland, Buckingham and Prince Edward are closed Monday.  All locations of Southside Virginia Community College are closed Monday.

According to the NWS, Central and South Central Virginia should prepare for possibly 2-4 inches of snow and up to two tenths of an inch of ice. Temperatures may drop to the upper teens to the lower 20s on Sunday night.

“Roads throughout much of south (and) central Virginia are snow covered this morning, with patches of snow or ice in the most southern counties of the Lynchburg District of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT),” said VDOT spokeswoman Paula Jones.

VDOT crews have been working throughout the night on main roadways and will continue to do so as more snow and freezing rain are expected.

“Drivers are encouraged to avoid travel if at all possible until the winter weather stops and snow plow operators can make more progress on roads.”

“Road conditions are treacherous this morning and will continue to be dangerous as precipitation continues to fall across the commonwealth,” said Corinne Geller, a state police spokeswoman. “State police are asking Virginians to delay unnecessary travel until conditions improve.” She said 13 traffic crashes have been reported in the Appomattox Division since midnight.

The area is expected to have 5-10 mile-per-hour winds, according to NWS.

The NWS predicts that the winter storm will likely begin on Sunday night and continue through Tuesday.

“Another developing storm system will start to affect the region by Sunday night with snow, followed by a wintry mixture of sleet and freezing rain Monday afternoon into early Tuesday,” stated a release by the NWS. “This will likely result in significant accumulations of snow, sleet and ice across much of the region.”

The NWS also stated that disruptions to travel are possible with the incoming storm.

Stay with the Herald for updates on the winter storm.