Similar to a boxing match, Old Man Winter was subjecting this area to a one-two punch Sunday and into today as March lived up to its reputation of coming “in like a lion.”

The first “round” of a storm system that was creeping its way up the East Coast brought a mixture of snow and rain to Surry and surrounding counties Sunday afternoon. Slippery conditions had caused nearly 20 traffic accidents by late afternoon as temperatures hovered just above the freezing mark, but none resulted in serious injuries.

But the second round of the late-season onslaught was to be the main event Sunday night and this morning, with a winter storm warning in effect in Northwest North Carolina and parts of Virginia until 11 a.m. today.

A winter storm warning means travel is considered dangerous due to significant amounts of snow.

Heavy snows were predicted Sunday night along and east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with accumulations of 6 to 8 inches expected by the time the snow ended this morning.

As if the precipitation outlook wasn’t enough, the mercury was expected to hit the mid-20s overnight and not exceed the lower 30s today. The National Weather Service said that low pressure was to track slowly northeast along the southeastern coast overnight, with this area on the cold side of the system.

Conditions in this area were to be partly to sunny today, the storm system was expected to continue to the northeast. However, the temperature is expected to plunge to 15 degrees overnight Monday, with wind gusts up to 30 mph.

Accidents Numerous

Even before dealing with the second “round” of heavy snow Sunday night and this morning, local emergency crews and law enforcement officials stayed busy running numerous traffic accident calls from slippery conditions Sunday afternoon.

Sixteen accidents occurred across Surry from 6 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Sunday, according to Daniel Watson, a spokesman at the county emergency communications center. Most of those involved vehicles that had slide off roads, while others were abandoned by their owners walking to get help.

Some instances of overturned vehicles occurred, Watson said, but no serious injuries had been reported as a result.

The early stage of the system caused heavier snow in the Dobson area and other southern sections of the county than in Mount Airy. Almost no incidents had occurred Sunday afternoon in the city, where crews had applied salt to bridges and other trouble spots.

This was not true in other areas, Watson said. The bulk of the accidents were reported on interstates 74 and 77, U.S. 52 and East Pine Street.

A spokesman for the N.C. Highway Patrol’s dispatching center in Salisbury, which handles calls in Surry County, said that patrolmen were dealing with wreck-related problems across the region.

“We’ve been busy all afternoon,” he said.

Parts of the Northeast, including New York City, Philadelphia and New England, were bracing for up to 15 inches of snow Sunday, according to The Associated Press.

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.