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Thursday 2:26 p.m.: Appalachian Power said Thursday afternoon it has restored power to nearly 80,000 customers who lost power after Winter Storm Harlow struck its service territory early Tuesday morning. An additional 1,000 field workers joined the company’s workforce Wednesday to aid in power restoration in the hardest hit areas of southern Virginia. In total, 7,000 personnel remain dedicated to restoring power safely and quickly.

As of 2 p.m., approximately 107,000 customers are without electric service, with Bedford, Campbell, Carroll, Floyd, Franklin, Grayson, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski and Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø counties each showing more than 3,000 customers without electric service.

Although weather is favorable for restoration Thursday morning as temperatures warm up, high winds are forecast and are expected to create additional outages.

Wind gusts over 30 mph create unsafe working conditions for working aloft in buckets, which could slow restoration efforts in some areas, according to the power company.

Additionally, warmer temperatures may lead to flooding in some areas, which may slow restoration.

Assessment crews are working to locate damage to electric facilities by foot, drones and helicopters.

The majority of customers who lost power on Tuesday will have power restored by Friday, according to the company. Customers who lost power early Thursday morning and any new outages can expect to have power restored by late Sunday. 

Franklin County declares local state of emergency

Franklin County has declared a local state of emergency and activated its Emergency Operation Center to coordinate and respond to the widespread power outages and other impacts of this week's winter storm. With thousands of Appalachian Power Co. customers without electricity, warming centers have been opened at these locations:

• Cool Branch Fire Department, open 24 hours as needed.
• Scruggs Fire Department, open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Residents in need of a place to warm up and recharge phones and other devices are encouraged to use these two fire stations to do so. The county also encourages residents to check on their elderly neighbors and those with medical needs. Gov. Glenn Youngkin also declared a state of emergency on Monday in advance of the storm.

Ice images from Blacksburg

11:42 a.m. Thursday: Staff photographers Matt Gentry and Heather Rousseau were out Thursday getting a glimpse of the ice damage in the New River and Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø valleys. Click here for the images.

Power lines blocking travel on section of 220 in Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø County

11:35 a.m. Thursday: Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø County Police are currently on scene of a tree down in power lines on Franklin Road (U.S. 220) at Starlight Lane southbound with the road blocked for an unforeseen amount of time.

Traffic is down to one lane at Franklin Road and Webb Road Northbound. Please avoid travel on U.S. 220, police are asking.

There are numerous ice covered trees and power lines down all over the County, please use caution if you must travel, police said in a news release.

Power outages increase across SwVa

10 a.m. Thursday: Appalachian Power Co. reports power outages grew overnight to now affect 125,000 customers across Virginia, including nearly 42,000 in Montgomery County and 33,000 in Franklin County. The hardest hit localities by percentage of power customers were Grayson, Floyd, Franklin and Montgomery counties. In Grayson, 91% of customers are without power, while the figure is 91% in Floyd County.

The outages are widespread. The culprit is trees, branches and power lines brought down by the heavy loads of snow, ice and rain. 

"The company expects to see additional outages throughout the day as wind gusts upwards of 30 mph enter the company’s service area," ApCo said in a 9 a.m. update.

Mill Mountain gate closed

10 a.m. Thursday: The traffic gate at the Mill Mountain Spur, off of Fishburn Parkway, has been closed due to multiple downed tree limbs caused by recent snow and ice accumulation, the city of Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø announced.

Due to continued inclement weather conditions, tree removal operations cannot be safely performed. Crews will reassess conditions when the weather improves and take necessary action to clear the roadway. The Spur will remain closed until it is deemed safe for public use.

School closings continue for Thursday

4:45 p.m. Wednesday: Several school divisions in the region plan to open on schedule or with two-hour delays Thursday. Others will remain closed. Here's a link to the list.

51,000-plus customers now without power

2:45 p.m. Wednesday: Appalachian Power Co. says storm-related power outages have grown to more than 51,000 customers as rain, ice and snow-laden tree branches crack and bring down power lines.

Almost all of those outages were in the utility's Virginia service area and the highest concentration was in Franklin County, which had more than 11,000 customers without power as of 2 p.m., followed by Carroll, Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø, Floyd, Patrick and Grayson and Henry counties, which ranged from 7,000 to 3,100 outages. In most cases, power restoration is not expected to occur until 11 p.m. Friday.

"Extreme cold temperatures can cause line overload problems when trying to restore a large number of customers," the company said in a statement. "In many cases, we must restore large outages in smaller groups, letting the electric load settle before restoring additional customers. Customers with outages can assist by turning off large electric users, such as heaters."

Elsewhere in Virginia, Dominion Energy was reporting 92,000 customers without electricity as of 1 p.m. in the Richmond area.

More ice accumulation forecast for region

1:45 p.m. Wednesday: The National Weather Service has extended the winter storm warning for the Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø and New River valleys until 7 a.m. Thursday due to significant icing, which is causing tree damage and power outages as snow-laden tree branches crack and fall.

Portions of Southwest Virginia could see additional ice accumulations between two-tenths and four-tenths of an inch, the weather service said in an announcement just before noon Wednesday. The additional ice may create hazardous conditions for Thursday morning commutes.

Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø recorded 3.8 inches of snow on Tuesday, and Blacksburg saw 3.6 inches of snow, according to the weather service.

ApCo reports 30,000-plus outages

10:20 a.m. Wednesday: Between midnight Tuesday and 9 a.m. Wednesday, some 37,000 Appalachian Power Co. customers lost electricity, all but 1,000 of them in Virginia, the utility company reported.

ApCo said more than 5,700 workers are in the field attempting to restore service, though facing challenging and hazardous conditions.

"Freezing rain is expected throughout the day in areas, including Christiansburg and Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø. Appalachian Power’s Storm Response Team expects more power outages as heavy accumulations of ice coupled with low temperatures can bring down utility poles, trees and limbs," the company's 9:10 a.m. update noted.

All public school divisions in the Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø and New River valleys either closed Wednesday or announced virtual learning days for students.

Hundreds of wrecks reported

4:14 p.m. Wednesday: Virginia State Police reported that between midnight Tuesday and 4 p.m. Wednesday there were 951 vehicle crashes statewide, including 95 with reported injuries.

The Wytheville Division, which covers much of Southwest Virginia, reported 122 crashes alone.

The agency continued Wednesday morning to encourage drivers to stay off the roads during the storm. For the latest in road condition, call 511 on a cellphone or go online to , or the 511 app.

Freezing rain to taper off

10 a.m. Wednesday: The National Weather Service office in Blacksburg reported this morning that the freezing rain and drizzle will continue today and into Wednesday evening, with more winter weather coming this weekend. 

"Temperatures will be slow to warm due to the abundance of cloud cover and precipitation. A front will finally cross the region Thursday, bringing the precipitation to an end, skies clearing Thursday afternoon, with dry but breezy weather Thursday night and Friday. Wet weather returns for the weekend with potential for mixed wintry precipitation Saturday morning," the weather service said in a 10 a.m. Wednesday update.