March 5, 2012

Monday's late season snow storm caught many people off guard in central Virginia.

"I was actually pretty surprised," said Alan Gilbert. "I pulled up the blinds and it was pretty much entirely white out in the parking lot and my car was totally covered. So I made a quick change of plans."

That change of plans brought him to the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville where other snow lowers were also out and about.

"I'm walking around and throwing some snowballs and things like that and hopefully meet some kids that want to do the same. It's just a fun day to just slow down a little bit and have fun," said Rashmi Khilnani.

Snow started falling at around 6 a.m. Schools initially were put on a two hour delay, but as the snow continued to fall, many counties decided to close for the day. Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa and Nelson schools were all closed Monday. For a complete list, click here.

While some people had a snow day, that wasn't the case for David Martin. He owns the Mole Hole on the Downtown Mall.

"I've got all-wheel drive so it's usually not too difficult to get here," he said. "Sometimes on a day like this you get a lot of business because most of the other businesses are closed." And Martin says he saw an increase in business compared to normal Monday in March.

Roads across the area were slick until around lunchtime Monday. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) reported numerous accidents across the region. Locally, Albemarle County Police responded to more than 40 wrecks.

For up to the minute road conditions, click here.

Here are some snowfall totals from weather watchers across the CBS19 viewing area:

Barboursville - 10"

Earlysville - 9"

Lake Louisa - 8"

Charlottesville - 7"

Troy - 7"

Madison - 1.7" (no, not a typo)