| UPDATE 10/29 1 P.M.- Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency in West Virginia on Monday ahead of a storm packing high winds and heavy rain and threatening to bring flooding and dump as much as 3 feet of snow on the state's highest ridge tops.
UPDATE 10/29 1 P.M. - NWS: Flood Watch remains in effect from 11 PM EDT this evening (Monday)
through late Tuesday night, in central West Virginia,
Braxton... Calhoun... Gilmer and Taylor. In northern West
Virginia... Barbour... Doddridge... Harrison... Lewis and Upshur.
ORIGINAL STORY - The Mountain State is bracing for strong winds, some heavy snow in the mountains, possible flooding and power outages as Hurricane Sandy strikes the coast and heads inland.
Calhoun OES/911 Director Kathy Wood is asking residents to, "Prepare for the worst and hope for the best," saying she is more concerned about possible power outages related to wind.
A wind advisory has been issued by the NWS for Calhoun and the region from Monday noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday, with winds 20 to 30 mph and gusts up to 50 mph, especially on ridgetops.
The state is expected to get two to six inches of rain, mixed with snow.
Appalachian Power spokesman Phil Moye said Sunday that in addition to putting its own workers on notice, at least 250 crews have been secured from others companies within in the system of parent American Electric Power, which serves nearly 440,000 customers in 24 West Virginia counties.
"The weather pattern certainly looks like it could impact our service territory and cause power outages," Moye said.
Nightime temps are predicted to drop into the 20s Monday.
A winter storm watch was posted for 14 southeastern and eastern counties with as much as 2 feet of snow is possible on the highest ridge tops, including near ski resorts, while up to 6 inches are likely in other areas, the National Weather Service said.
Other areas of the state will see a mix of rain and snow, especially Monday night and Tuesday.
Hurricane Sandy has been described as a massive storm that is "confused" by striking other weather patterns, but will likely have severe impact along the east cost.
The June 29 derecho left more than 680,000 state customers without electricity, many for up to two weeks.
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