Massive snow storm hits region

WISE COUNTY, Va. -

While parts of the Tri-Cities saw mostly rain, what was Hurricane Sandy left many people in our region digging out from under several inches of snow.

Parts of Wise County picked up more than six inches of snow. We traveled to Norton, Virginia to find out what kind of impact the storm is having on folks there.

The rain changed to all snow in the early morning hours of Tuesday; by the time the sun came up much of southwest Virginia was under a blanket of snow several inches deep.

With this much snow it's not just road crews that are staying busy trying to keep the snow cleared away, it's also been a busy day for the people whose job it is to keep parking lots clear.

By the time we caught up with Derrick Crabtree clearing a bank parking lot, he had already worked a full day and was not close to stopping. "I started about three this morning. Push, waiting, push, waiting, and pushing, waiting. Now it's pretty bad," he said.

Crabtree tells us this snow storm is almost like an early Christmas present for workers like him. Last winter's lack of snow left companies like his with little business. "We did a little bit there, then it slacked off and we didn't do much at all," he said. "That kind of hurt."

We also spotted several people breaking in their snow shovels for the first time Tuesday, like Sam Pugh. "If you forget how to do it from last year, you get a little crick in your back," he said.

Pugh told us it's hard to believe he's clearing snow in front of the municipal building; just last week he was raking leaves from this very sidewalk. "Along the road downtown, seems like you can get [leaves] off. But now that I got them off here comes the snow back here," he said.

Even though it looks like a winter wonderland now, many say they don't believe the cold weather is here to stay just yet.