Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 12, 1995 TAG: 9511130096
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: S.D. HARRINGTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Appalachian Power Co. reported 6,000 homes in Western Virginia were without power between 5 and 6:30 p.m. Roughly half had power back by 9 p.m.
Calls about power outages began coming in at noon Saturday and escalated around 3 p.m., said spokeswoman Victoria Ratcliffe.
Emergency crews spent much of the night clearing trees that were blocking roads.
The wind blew over several billboards, including one at Williamson Road and Pocahontas Street.
City workers were spotted on Williamson Road next to the Roanoke Civic Center replacing a street sign that was ripped off its post, and orange construction barrels had been tossed about by the gusts on Second Street.
In Danville, police reported a 30-foot section of a roof was blown off a store.
Winds began calming around 9 p.m., said Blacksburg meteorologist Jan Jackson. The winds would continue into the night with speeds between 10 and 15 mph with gusts reaching 40 mph.
The forecast for today calls for mostly sunny, windy and colder with highs in the mid- to upper 40s with light flurries.
Lows will be in the upper 20s and flurries will continue through tonight.
Jackson said the strong winds, cold front and precipitation made for an unusual mix of weather Saturday. But the precipitation wasn't as much a factor as the winds - less than an inch of rain or sleet fell in the Roanoke and New River Valleys.
Despite the relatively light rainfall, some roads in Roanoke flooded temporarily, according to a Roanoke police spokesman who said officers had barricaded problem areas till the water level subsided.
Rain turned to snow as temperatures dropped below freezing in higher elevations. Much of the New River Valley reported snow showers. Some parts of Roanoke and Botetourt counties reported sleet and ice.
Staff writer Lisa K. Garcia contributed to this story.
by CNB