While forecasters were only predicting a dusting of snow Tuesday, around three inches of snow coated the area as school officials scrambled to get students home safely.

Surry County Schools has already canceled school for Wednesday. Teachers will have an optional workday. Superintendent Dr. Ashley Hinson said the system has missed four days so far and today will most likely be made up on one of the Easter break days.

Hinson said the decision to send students home was made at 12:22 p.m. He said the process of letting students out early takes about one hour.

“The (bus) drivers are not at the school. We also have to let the parents know so there is someone to receive the children when they get home. We contacted the TV stations and sent out an Alert Now telephone message,” Hinson said. “The drivers did an outstanding job. We’re glad that everyone got home safely.”

John Shelton, director of Surry County Emergency Services, said 12 students were on a bus that stopped on Siloam Road near Little Mountain Church Road due to road conditions. He said four-wheel-drive vehicles were brought in to get the students safely home. The two other Surry County buses were stranded on Pioneer Drive and on White Buffalo Road.

Hinson said the last buses pulled into the schools’ parking lots at 4:15 p.m. He added that personnel from Surry County Emergency Services and some citizens helped with getting the students safely home.

Mount Airy City School Superintendent Dr. Darrin Hartness said officials decided at 12:30 p.m. to send students home. Hartness said all students and teachers made it home safely Tuesday afternoon. He said a decision about whether or not to close schools today would have to wait until 6 a.m.

Shelton said the worst accident of the afternoon was a T-bone collision at Smith Road and U.S. 601. That wreck happened at 1:46 p.m. and slowed traffic in both directions. One of the drivers was pinned in their vehicle until Dobson Rescue Squad officials were able to free the driver. Shelton said neither driver was seriously injured. Both were taken to Northern Hospital of Surry County to be checked out.

Shelton said more than 25 accidents had been reported across the county as of 4 p.m.

In Virginia, U.S. 52 was completely shut down north of Cana on Fancy Gap Mountain at 2:22 p.m. due to multiple wrecks from Bear Trail up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. According to Alex Easter, second lieutenant with the Cana Rescue Squad, Epworth and Fish Lake roads both had to be shut down due to the number of vehicles that had slid off the roadway. All roads had been reopened by late afternoon.

One school bus carrying just a couple of student had to stop on Fish Lake Road until chains could be put on the tires. He said the bus was near the end of its route and the students got home safely.

Easter said traffic on both northbound and southbound lanes on Interstate 77 in Virginia were impassable as of 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Officials with the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Va., said temperatures were expected to be right around 30 degrees overnight, which may cause icing on roadways. Caution while driving is advised.

As of 7 p.m., officials at the F.G. Doggett Water Plant, the official weather recording station for the area, had received three inches of snow.

Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.