A direct shot of Arctic air affecting the eastern two-thirds of the country migrated east and southeast over the weekend, according to the Associated Press. Both east and southeast areas of the country were hit with gusty chills and snow.

More than 14 inches of snow were recorded in Tucker County on Monday and Tuesday.

Snow conditions in the county also led to an hours-long road closure on Route 219 in Hambleton just outside of Tucker County High School. Several vehicles, including large trucks, became stuck during the incident.

“As you know, the weather can turn quite nasty really fast up there on the mountain, just due to the terrain and higher elevation,” Kevin White, the Tucker County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management director, told The Inter-Mountain on Tuesday. “Several snow squalls came through some time around 1:30 p.m., 2 o’clock and it deteriorated the road conditions rapidly. Several trucks became stuck there, along with some personal vehicles also.”

Submitted photo Thomas Volunteer Fire Department vehicles navigate the quickly falling snow Monday. More than 14 inches were recorded in Tucker County on Monday and Tuesday.

The road was closed for approximately two hours, which delayed students at Tucker County High School from being dismissed on time. White said students were kept at the school until approximately 4 p.m.

White explained that multiple fire companies, law enforcement and EMS were called out to the area around 1:15 p.m. and did not return to service until around 5 p.m.

Multiple trucks also found themselves in tight situations traveling through Tucker County’s mountainous terrain due to a lack of snow chains on their vehicles.

“There’s several trucks on the road in today’s society that they do not carry chains any longer, or they happen to be coming through our area and they’re coming from areas where there’s no need to have chains,” White said. “We see trucks from out west a lot that are in the lowlands where they don’t see snow, and they just don’t have chains on them or chains to put on (their vehicles), so that does create a problem when traveling that type of terrain.”

On Tuesday, White said conditions in the county were “slightly better” as residents were not facing snow squalls like they did on Monday; however, there were still flurries and icy conditions in certain areas of Tucker County.

In Elkins, the National Weather Service reported Tuesday that the 4 inches of snow seen by the area was an all-time record for the date, beating the previous record for Nov. 10 of 2.2 inches of snow in 1913.

Also in Elkins, before 4:30 p.m. on Monday, the Elkins Fire Department, the West Virginia State Police, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office and Randolph County EMS responded to a single vehicle accident on Chenoweth Creek Road.

The vehicle was flipped onto its side near the entrance to Jodie Parrack – State Farm Insurance, and the driver was taken away in an ambulance. The accident led to stopped traffic coming onto and leaving Chenoweth Creek Road.

When asked what his recommendation was for drivers as the winter season kicks off, White explained that it’s always advised for drivers to be prepared with roadside kits, flashlights, extra blankets, boots, gloves, coats, water, etc.

“So if you do become stranded somewhere, or you get into a lot of traffic and you have to wait a while, it’s always good to have a full tank of gas… so you can have heat in your vehicle,” White said. “Just some things like that. The basics will help that experience not be as painful as it could be.”