Hi guys,

I am moving down to WV and we are looking at a few places over near Gerrardstown, WV in Berkley county.   We are coming from Vermont and are looking at a few homes that are up on the ridge.   How bad is it in the winter there on average?   Does the state/city/county run plows?  Do they lay salt if so?

We have good winter vehicles.  My commuter car will be my Subaru baja AWD.   Have snow tires for it.   Also have a 4wd Pickup truck.  My main concern is how long the streets may be closed in the winter and whether or not I should look for something off the ridge or will I be OK up there with the appropriate vehicle?   Snow does not bother me.  Ice is the main concern.  all input is welcome and appreciated!   looking forward to being a West Virginian!

That is awesome news!  Appreciate the input and look forward to getting there!

I live in Gerrardstown up on a ridge.   Is said ridge in a development? That will depend if the roads are maintained by the state or the HOA.   I live in a development ( sorta ) but im right on the main state serviced road.  Once you leave that and get back into the  development the HOA folks take over and its not always the best roads.

Winters are very inconsistent here.  Sometimes there is very little snow and it'll get cool but not really super cold, but then a few years ago we had a record snowfall, over three feet from one storm, with several other decent storms that year.

Or we don't get a lot of snow but it's bone-chilling cold for weeks, though if you're used to VT winters you'll probably laugh at the rest of us.

Freezing rain and ice is often the bigger issue.  Sometimes we'll be getting rain/ice or just rain, but western Berkeley and the higher elevations are getting snow.  With some storms you can see the rain/snow line on the mountain, which is kind of cool.

Honestly when the weather is bad I don't go out - not because I don't trust myself and my vehicle, but the cars with bald tires going sideways down the interstate make things interesting.

Like Turnskull said, find out who owns the road.  In my subdivision they are all county roads and the county does plow them... eventually... because we're lowest priority.  Usually a few homeowners with our own tractors, blades on pickups, and PTO-driven snow blowers keep the streets passable before the county folks show up, and we don't knock over each other's mailboxes either.

Also during the days before a storm hits the state pre-treats the roads with something.  I just know it's white, sticks to the road when dried, and you don't want to be behind the truck when it's being applied unless you want a white car.  It does seem to work well.

Yes sir I believe so.  I will PM you.  It would be awesome if you are in the same area.

Good info!  Thank you!  Yes, winters here suck.  LONG...  pretty much ice and snow from Dec through May...

Sounds good..

Welcome to the area!  Your vehicles are WELL equipped.  Most of our winter storms are a few to several inches and the roads are quickly cleared as the snow falls.  The bigger storms that last all day and/or get to the 12+ inch accumulation can be a temporary problem, but they will keep plowing and try to keep up.  We don't get many ice storms, but we've had those as well as the named blizzards like Snowmageddon, etc. that put down about 3 feet of snow.  This area of WV is east of the higher Appalachian mountains and therefore there is less snow than about an hour to the west of the panhandle.  Our temps are warmer, too.  I've seen plenty of 10 degree drops driving west across I-68 thru western MD and towards Morgantown, WV.

One thing about the big storms and snow removal in this area is the concentration of the DOH efforts on the major highways first, like I-81, and to a lesser extent, Rt 340 thru Jefferson County where I live (one county east of where you will be).  When we get these long lasting storms, they will plow the side roads once after a modest accumulation of snow, which helps, but then they go back to I-81 and keep plowing that until it is bone dry (lots of salt used).  This allows the side roads to get packed down with the remaining snow until it becomes a couple inch thick layer of white ice, so your Blizzaks are a really good idea (I use them).  They can't plow this ice and there is not enough salt to melt that thick layer of ice, so they put down abrasives like rock chips that help a little.  Most of the winter driving issues after a storm are going to be on the smaller roads and housing areas until the crews can get to them, but once you make it to a major road, the roads are pretty good.

It depends on how far back onto these side roads you live that will affect how long you might be safer at home when one of these big storms hit.  The more small roads you have to negotiate, the greater potential for later snow removal.  After we had a huge storm in 1993 when I lived in Berkeley County and got stuck in a subdivision for 3 days, the area did purchase more snow removal equipment for these big 3 foot storms, like V-blade plows with front end loaders and dump trucks to move the snow.  We've only had 3 such storms that I can remember since I've lived in this area since 1988, and the last one was in 2010.

Again, your Subaru with Blizzaks will be the superior vehicle on most of the roads around here.

How could you forget 2016?  Glengary 42 inches and Martinsburg 34 inches of the white stuff!
http://weheartwv.com/2016/01/23/this-is-how-much-snow-has-fallen-around-the-state/

Awesome information!  I appreciate it greatly, and cannot wait to meet y'all

Honestly snow removal off main roads sucks compared to neighboring states. You can be driving on Rt 11 from either MD or VA and cross the state line and it's a huge difference. In Martinsburg itself, the unofficial policy is to let Mr. Sun remove what Mother Nature deposited.

But we rarely get a snow anymore that is more than an a slight inconvenience to get around in.

Wow, bonehead move on my part, totally forgot about our most recent storm!  I had to go thru my phone for pics I took of that one.  I now remember it because I had a friend living in Boston at that time and kept telling me our storm was nothing compared to what they had.  I guess we are getting used to these occasional storms, as once I dug myself out of my own driveway, the DOH had plowed my road so that I could get out if needed.  We do have some winters that have almost no snow, too.  So, it balances out.

I had 46 at my house on the ridge above Glengary.  I was glad i worked at a job that paid me to stay home..

Welcome to WV.

Thank you!

My cousin was stationed up on in the panhandle for a few years.  He always said the snows weren't nearly as bad as he was used to in  southern WV, but the Yankee drivers were the real threat.  Folks that weren't used to snow so panicked at the first skiff.

If you think that is bad, you should see the queebs drive up here.  (Quebec Canadians)  Like a bat out of hell on sheer ice....

All I can add is http://www.facebook.com/WXRisk. or WXRisk on youtube.
He'll get you decent forecasts pretty well in advance.
His first guess/first call/last call precip forecasts are usually good enough to plan on.
Yeah, he's an arrogant asshole at times, but dealing with idiots makes me an arrogant asshole too. (no, it doesn't come natural)