BLUEFIELD — Snow-weary residents won’t get much of a break today as another snow system bringing a mixture of snow and sleet, then just snow, then rain and sleet, then snow and sleet again will be arriving late tonight according to the National Weather Service.

The same storm system that caused mudslides in California during the same time that the two Virginias were getting pelted by a 6-inch mix of sleet, freezing rain and snow on Friday and Saturday, will be arriving “very, very late” tonight, according to Dennis Sleighter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Blacksburg, Va. “From late (tonight) through Tuesday night, you can expect to get 2-4 inches of snow and sleet,” Sleighter said.

There is an 80 percent chance of snow and sleet throughout the day on Tuesday. Sleighter said the snow will change to rain Tuesday afternoon before switching back to snow and sleet again in the evening hours. However, forecasters are calling for just snow on Wednesday. “We don’t predict accumulation totals that far out,” he said. Sleighter said that early predictions for late Wednesday and early Thursday are for scattered snow showers.

Although local temperatures remained below freezing on Sunday, sunshine melted some of the region’s snow cover. The Virginia Department of Transportation issued a warning Sunday afternoon urging motorists to exercise more caution. “State officials are responding to more traffic incidents as people venture out today,” according to a VDOT press release issued at 12:30 p.m., Sunday.

“As temperatures begin to drop again this evening, drivers may find icy conditions in slick spots,” according to the VDOT press release. “If you must drive, be especially careful on bridges and overpasses as ice may form more quickly in these areas.” VDOT is urging motorist to call 511 or visit (www.511virginia.org) to get the most current information on conditions.

By 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Appalachian Power reported that power had been restored to all of the customers in the Wythe and Tazewell county area, but some Mercer County customers were still off. APCO’s outage map was reporting 129 Mercer County customers without electrical service at 5:45 p.m. Sunday.

Snow-removal contractors used the sun on Sunday to help loosen up the icy snow pack that coated most area parking lots, while state and municipal snow plows continued their efforts to open secondary roads. Area roads seemed quieter than normal on Sunday.

“I think people are staying off the roads and that’s good,” Senior Trooper J.A. Cook of the Princeton Detachment of the West Virginia State Police said.

— Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com