Virginia State Police say an estimated 20 vehicles were involved in a pileup in the northbound lanes of
Interstate 81 after a sudden snow squall blew over the highway in the Harrisonburg area.
Sgt. Les Tyler of the state police's Culpeper division says the pileup Tuesday morning resulted in four injuries, three described as minor.
Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Sandy Myers says the squall coated the road surface with snow, which immediately stuck because of the cold temperatures.
Traffic was backed up in both directions of the interstate and the northbound lane was closed for several hours. It reopened around 12:30 p.m.
--------------------------------
A big pileup on Interstate 81 south of Harrisonburg is causing major delays on the highway.
The Daily News-Record reports that the pileup Tuesday involves at least four tractor-trailers and more
than a dozen passenger cars.
Virginia Department of Transportation Spokeswoman Sandy Myers says an intense snow squall is to blame for the mess in both lanes of the interstate. She says the 7 a.m. squall coated the road surface with snow, which immediately stuck because of the cold temperatures.
Myers says the northbound lane of I-81 is closed in the Rockingham County area and traffic is being re-routed to Route 11 through Harrisonburg.
VDOT's online traffic postings report a 3-mile backup in the northbound lane.
