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First snowfall of the year creates both delights and delays for Hampton Roads

The snow came down heavier in Williamsburg than other parts of Hampton Roads, but the winter wonderland did get in the way of people's plans.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Mother Nature brought the first snowfall of the year to Hampton Roads, hitting various parts of the region. For many in areas such as Hampton, Newport News and Williamsburg, it created a bit of a headache with delays and cancellations.

One woman, Melody Briscoe, showed up to the Sherwood Shopping Center, which now serves as the Newport News Community Vaccination Clinic

She said she pulled on the doors to get in, but they were locked with the notice on the window saying, 'closed due to inclement weather.' The clinic announced earlier in the day it had to close due to the weather conditions.

"My mother is 74 years old and I brought her in for her booster," Briscoe said. "She's overdue and we came here to find it was closed."

While many rushed to get their vaccine or to get to work on time, Mother Nature called for patience.

"It's more windy and wet than anything. I guess people could hydroplane," Briscoe said. "I really thought this was the better center. I'm sorry that it had to close due to weather, though."

It's the same patience Hampton City leaders are also asking for residents in the area. City spokesperson Robin McCormick says the wet weather that came before the snow made it difficult to manage the roadways.

"It was significantly worse than expected," McCormick said. "The winds out there are terrible, so whenever the snow does start, it's going to be after a whole lot of mess that already happened out there."

McCormick says Hampton residents may see delays in services due to staffing shortages. She says it's mainly because the drivers of the garbage and recycling trucks are actually filling in the gaps of the workers who drive the salt trucks and plows to keep the roads safe.

"Your trash pickup might get delayed. We have had a number of flooded streets today," said McCormick. "We got a lot of high winds, and we have some people out sick. We hope they don't have COVID, but they are out sick."

McCormick says city crews are working hard to keep up with the aftermath of the storm system, while also trying to keep up with the increasing COVID-19 positivity rates.

Along with other school delays and site closings, the Peninsula Health Department announced its vaccination and testing clinics for COVID-19 will be closed Tuesday, as well due to the cold temperatures and other weather concerns.

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