Power outages and rapidly accumulating snow blanketed the area Saturday night and into Sunday with more than 58,000 Appalachian Power customers in the dark and cold in areas along the Blue Ridge Parkway and massive blackouts in Pulaski County.

Snow accumulations of up to 16 inches hit some areas of the New River Valley, including some areas of Floyd County.

At of 7 p.m. Sunday, Appalachian Power reported more than 2,000 customers without power in scattered parts of Floyd County, including Indian Valley, Alum Ridge, areas along the Parkway and north of the Town of Floyd on along Virginia Rte. 8.  In most cases, the utility is not saying when the power might be restored.

For other areas, power blinked on and off throughout the Saturday night and into Sunday morning.

With temperatures expected to climb above freeing around noon, some melting might occur but the thermometer will drop to the mid-to-high 20s overnight Sunday and Monday, creating icy conditions throughout the area.

Reports the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Blacksburg:

..Hazardous Road Conditions Across Much of the Region… Although wintry precipitation has tapered to patchy snow showers and flurries, road conditions remain treacherous especially across the mountains this morning where over a foot of snow has fallen in some locations since Saturday. Many roads remain snow covered and slick with fallen trees also affecting some spots. Those venturing out this morning should be alert for hazardous conditions and use caution if traveling. Conditions should slowly improve as temperatures rise a bit by this afternoon allowing for some melting of the snow and ice.

The good news, if any exists in this winter storm four days int0 Spring and the third snowfall in March, is that radar shows the area free of falling snow.

Time to start digging out.