Heavy snow and freezing rain caused hundreds of crashes in Virginia and left tens of thousands of residents in the dark as the central Appalachians and parts of the mid-Atlantic states are bracing for heavy rains.

The snowstorm that blew into the mid-Atlantic states on Tuesday caused accidents on roads and prompted school closures.

Wind, snow and even freezing rain is on the way to the region on Thursday.With nasty weather, comes the risk of power outages.Pacific Power said it is expecting