VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Hampton Roads got a snow tease after cold rain on Thursday night -- but the bulk of the forecasted snow should come down Friday night into Saturday morning.
By 4 p.m., people were seeing tiny flakes return to the area. For some parts of the region, that could keep up for over 10 more hours, dropping a blanket of snow that likely won't melt on Saturday.
RELATED: 13News Now Winter Weather Guide
13News Now's reporters are scattered through the seven cities and northeastern North Carolina, keeping an eye on conditions.
Here's how things were shaping up, Friday afternoon.
Chesapeake
Icy roads caused a headache in Chesapeake this morning. A car slid into a ditch off Sanderson Road, and rescue teams had to shut the road down to get the car back up. (Don't worry, the driver wasn't hurt.)
The city used about 350 tons of salt to pre-treat roads ahead of this weekend's snowfall.
Even with that precaution, VDOT is warning people that black ice could be a problem as temperatures drop. Be careful out there.
Apart from the roads, 13News Now's Sarah Hammond is tracking snowfall in the area. She said the Chesapeake City Park saw some snow accumulation Thursday night, and by Friday afternoon, more snow was building onto that base.
Elizabeth City
North Carolina crews plan to work through the night to keep everyone safe.
Most crews were out by 4 p.m., with trucks paying special attention to bridges, underpasses and areas known to get slick.
NCDOT crews were prepared to work 15-17 hour shifts to keep snow off the roads.
Another effect of the storm: officials expect ocean overwash to be a problem for NC-12 on the Outer Banks at least through Sunday morning.
Hampton
Temperatures are cold on the Peninsula today.
A spokesperson for the city of Hampton said the chances for heavier snowfall were more likely around 9 or 10 p.m., but there were crews ready (around the clock) to clear the roads.
Plows and trucks are ready to go, and operators have already pre-treated major roads and bridges.
The spokeswoman said roads weren't as bad as people expected on Friday partially because of all that pre-treating that city crews did Thursday night, when cars were off the roads.
Since then, teams in Hampton have put down more than 211 tons of salt.
Norfolk
Norfolk declared a local state of emergency leading up to the winter storm.
The declaration gives the city wiggle room to get state and federal resources if officials need more hands on deck.
“It really allows us to work even closer with the state if we do need any resource requests any additional plows, trucks and things like that,” said Norfolk Director of Emergency Preparedness Jim Redick.
Temperatures dropped into the afternoon, as officials closed off parking to Granby Street and several other roads to give plows room to do their jobs.
Cars that stay parked in those off-limit areas could face tickets, or be towed away.
City leaders said they had 40 trucks ready to plow snow out of the way.
As snow fell into the night, people ventured out to enjoy it.
“We are from Minnesota, so this is fine with us,” said Norfolk resident Jody He. “We are just reminiscing and throwing snowballs now.”
But, the snow was a new sensation for a 5-month-old German Shepard pup named Hemmy.
“He started running and slipping, he didn’t understand why he was sliding at first,” said owner Tristen Figurea.
City officials said the York Street garage is open for anyone to park in. It's free until Sunday at 5 p.m.
Virginia Beach
The beach at the Oceanfront area started to turn white Friday afternoon.
People in the city, like 9-year-old Gabereal Carrasquillo, told 13News Now's Evan Watson they were excited to see it come down.
Gabereal wanted to see a foot of fluffy white snow, so he could make snow angels and snowmen and throw snowballs at his friends.
Just a friendly reminder: as tempting as it looks, sledding isn't allowed at Mount Trashmore Park.
Is there anything prettier than snow on the sand?
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