Storm impacts linger as Virginia stays under emergency
(The Center Square) – Virginia maintained its emergency declaration Monday as lingering winter weather continues to disrupt travel and strain the regional power grid, while prolonged cold snaps have increased electricity demand across much of the state.
First-term Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger declared an emergency ahead of Winter Storm Fern after forecasts showed snow, ice and hazardous travel conditions across much of the state. The declaration allows government agencies to coordinate response efforts and access additional resources as impacts continue.
“As we continue to respond to this storm, I encourage Virginians to limit travel whenever possible, take precautions to stay warm, and check in on neighbors who may need assistance,” Spanberger said in a statement. “State agencies remain fully active as they monitor conditions and support local response efforts.”
While major highways have largely reopened, driving conditions remain uneven in many regions. Transportation officials said secondary roads and neighborhood streets are still dangerous in parts of the state as crews continue to plow and process remaining snow and ice. Cold temperatures slowed melting and extended hazardous conditions.
Beyond travel disruptions, extended cold spells have increased demand on the power grid serving Virginia and surrounding states. Virginia is part of PJM Interconnection, a regional grid operator that provides electricity to 13 states and the District of Columbia.
As of Monday morning, most of the electricity in the Mid-Atlantic came from fossil fuels and nuclear power.
According to PJM data, natural gas had the largest share in electricity generation on Monday morning with 38.8%, followed by nuclear energy with approximately 26% and coal with 22.7%. Wind and solar together accounted for a much smaller share of production; wind contributed about 4.8% and solar about 1.5%; the remaining electricity came from hydroelectric power and other sources.
The cold weather also led to scattered power outages across Virginia. As of Monday morning, approximately 2,800 Dominion Energy customers were without power statewide; the highest numbers were in the Central Peninsula and Northern Neck, followed by parts of southeastern Virginia.
PJM said it is issuing cold weather advisories throughout its service territory and monitoring power plant and transmission operations because electricity demand remains high during the cold weather period.
