MARTINSBURG, W.V.a. — Since late Sunday night, nearly four inches of snow or a wintry mix had already fallen on Eastern Panhandle roads with lots more is in the forecast.

A spokesman from the Berkeley County Department of Highways, which also clears Interstate 81, says plowing is going well, but they won’t get anything completely cleared while it’s still snowing.
In fact, he says the roads are getting covered up as soon as they get done plowing them. He tells the Panhandle News Network the primary roads won’t be done tonight, and that means the secondary roads won’t get any attention yet.

A radio operator for District 5 out of Burlington said crews are out on all the county roads they oversee, with the focus on primary roads. In fact, he said secondary roads would only start getting attention once primary roads are cleared, not easy as the snow is still falling. District 5 covers Berkeley, Morgan, Jefferson, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, and Grant Counties.

A WVDOH snow plow clears a lane on Rt. 51 West early Monday morning in Berkeley County.

The city of Martinsburg, meanwhile, cautioned residents that with nearly a foot of snow possible, crews will focus on making the streets passable and then come back around to widen streets and intersections and conduct more finite cleaning operations after the snow stops falling.”
“Salt, trucks and crews are ready to tackle our 66 miles of streets. Our crews will focus on main and emergency routes first and then work themselves into residential neighborhoods,” according to city officials.

Meanwhile, the weather has closed or delayed many businesses and government offices across the Panhandle.  All public schools are closed and local colleges have closed or have offered classes online today.

Government offices in the Eastern Panhandle are closed today, as are courts.

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