Richmond Mayor Danny Avula declared a state of emergency on Friday ahead of a winter storm that the latest forecasts believe will be lighter on snow than initially expected, but potentially heavier on freezing rain – which has the power to bring down power lines across the region.

The National Weather Service upgraded Richmond from a "Winter Weather Advisory" to a "Winter Storm Warning" on Friday.

The timeframe of the storm remains largely unchanged.

Snow will move into the area after sunset on Saturday night, forecasters say, and will continue overnight, with anywhere from 3 to 6 inches falling in the Richmond area.

Sunday morning, the snow will switch over to sleet and freezing rain.

Depending on how much, and which type, that's when the danger begins. Ice accumulations on power lines of a half-inch or more would be enough to trigger widespread outages.

All precipitation will end by Monday morning.

"This is likely to be a severe storm and multi-day power restoration effort," Dominion Energy said in a Friday briefing. "Heavy ice accumulation, severe damage to trees and power lines, and difficult travel conditions could prolong the power restoration effort over multiple days.

"Following the storm, we are also expecting several days of extreme cold weather."

Temperatures will remain below freezing for the first part of the week, which will limit how much thawing takes place.

Area schools have already made plans for Monday cancellations, and will monitor conditions from there.

Richmond has also opened The Salvation Army Inclement Weather Shelter, located at 1900 Chamberlayne Avenue, for those who need it.

While Richmond has faced bigger winter storms, and has seen bigger snow totals, the low temperatures are particularly concerning to National Weather Service meteorologists, who are urging residents to prepare for potential power outages on Sunday night lasting into Monday, and possibly longer in some areas.

Contact Michael Phillips at mphillips@richmonder.org.