Virginia governor declares state of emergency ahead of winter storm

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Virginia's governor has declared a state of emergency, warning that continued bitterly cold weather will be aggravated by a storm that could dump a foot of snow on parts of the state.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe ordered the state of emergency Wednesday afternoon. According to a statement from the governor's office, that action authorizes state agencies to help local governments to respond to the storm for up to 48 hours.

The Virginia National Guard has been authorized to bring up to 150 additional personnel on state active duty and 30 vehicles to during the storm.

McAuliffe says the winter storm is expected to hit Hampton Roads, the Northern Neck, Eastern Shore and other areas of Eastern Virginia.

Officials say state transportation crews have begun 24-hours operations and are pretreating roads.