Mother Nature Visits West Virginia

{Charleston, West Virginia}...Crews were busy Monday as Mother Nature dumped her first significant snowfall of the season across West Virginia, creating slick roadways and hazardous driving conditions. As many as 30 vehicles were involved in a pileup along the West Virginia Turnpike near Beckley Monday afternoon, shutting down one lane as traffic crawled northward near the Interstate 64 and Interstate 77 split. Along Interstate 64 westbound between Cross Lanes and Institute, traffic came to a halt, leaving many residents who work in downtown Charleston on the roadway for hours as crews with the Division of Highways worked to salt and sand the road Monday afternoon and evening. The National Weather Service issued a black ice warning after temperatures fell into the lower 20s Monday afternoon, creating black ice along many roads. Multiple portions of Interstate 77 were closed during the evening and afternoon hours. Motorists reported being on the road for more than an hour between mile markers 107 and 111 in the Sissonville area. Ice shut down the interstate in both directions near the Tuppers Creek exit. Interstate 79 was shut down in both directions at mile marker seven near Elkview. Across the state, emergency officials closed roadways, diverted traffic and struggled to keep up as temperatures plummeted, creating thicker and stronger sheets of ice.