Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

Pickup truck kicks up a splash while turning off U.S. 460 in Christiansburg Thursday.

Click here for the latest updates on the flooding in Southwest Virginia.

Flooded roads, downed trees and soggy conditions will greet you as you venture outside this morning.

Gov. Tim Kaine declared a statewide state of emergency Tuesday evening in response to the combined effects of the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida and a coastal Nor'easter. The declaration immediately directs state agencies to take necessary actions to protect the health and safety of citizens throughout the commonwealth, according to the governor's Web site.

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management is coordinating with local officials and state agencies as well as the National Weather Service. The Virginia State Police, Virginia National Guard, and the departments of Game and Inland Fisheries, Social Services and Transportation are preparing to assist local governments as necessary.

And the rain continues to fall.

Elementary, middle and high schools in Franklin County are closed today due to flooding. Shawsville Elementary and Middle, Elliston-Lafayette Elementary and Eastern Montgomery High School are closed as well. Salem schools will close two hours early this afternoon.

Several roads are closed in the Roanoke and New River valleys due to heavy rain, officials said.

The National Weather Service this morning reported that flood warnings will remain in effect today for Salem, the city of Roanoke, Roanoke County, eastern Montgomery County, northewestern Bedford County Craig County, Buena Vista, Botetout County, Lexington, Covington, southern Bath County, Rockbridge County and Alleghany County.

Flooding is expected in Montgomery and Roanoke counties and in Salem along the South Fork and Upper Roanoke River and its tributaries.

Some 2 to 4 inches of rain have fallen in Southwest Virginia since Tuesday morning. Another 1 to 2 inches of rain is expected today.

Homeowners were scrambling to deal with flooded basements and leaking roofs this morning at the Lowe's home improvement store in Christiansburg. In fact, as of 7:15 a.m. only one sump pump was left on the shelves.

The storm is the result of two air masses meeting in the area -- the remnants of tropical storm Ida from the south and a stationary front that had moved in from the north, said Donoto Cacciapaglia, weather service specialist for the NWS in Blacksburg. "It's been kind of a collision... It's been a major event."

Cacciapaglia said the bulk of the rain has fallen on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge: about 3.5 inches have fallen from Lynchburg to Pittsylvania County in the past 24 hours, while 2.5 inches have fallen on Fincastle, in Botetourt County, and more than 2 inches in the Roanoke Valley.

The National Weather Service in Blacksburg says "signficiant flooding" is expected today along the Roanoke River.

According to the 8:15 a.m. alert, "the river is rising rapidly at this time along its entire reach from eastern Montgomery County through Salem into the city of Raonoke. The river will reach flood stage at Roanoke by late morning and crest over 15 feet by 3 p.m..

"Moderate flood stage is 12 feet and major flood stage is 16 feet so significant flooding is possible along the river."

One of the greatest potential traffic disruptions is in Franklin County, where the Virginia Department of Transportation says flooding is partially blocking U.S. 220.

Both northbound lanes and one southbound lanes are closed, VDOT said shortly after 7 a.m.

Spokeswoman Marshall Barnhill said she did not have the exact location of the blockage available or any estimate of when the lanes might reopen. Traffic is being rerouted, she said.

State police reported a single-vehicle accident on U.S. 220 in Franklin County but no major traffic tie-ups.

Flooding has also shut down one lane of U.S. 460 in both directions in portions of eastern Montgomery County.

According to Vinton's police communications supervisor Craig Sheets, Walnut Avenue has been closed from Fourth Street to Wise Avenue in the Indian Village area. This section will remain closed throughout the morning and Sheets said it is not expected to reopen until afternoon.

Here is a parital list of road closures at this time:

In Franklin County, according to the state Department of Transportation:

• U.S. 220 North in the vicinity of North Main Street exit in Rocky Mount. Traffic is being diverted onto the off- ramp to US-220 Business and re-routed back to US-220 North. The south left lane is closed.
• Doe Run Road
• Burnt Chimney Road
• Madcap Road
• Boones Mill Road
• Bar Ridge Road
• Rufus Road

In Montgomery County, according to Sheriff's Office Sgt. M.E. Hollandsworth:

• Cedar Run Road between Sweeney Road and Buckskin Road in Riner
• Fairview Church Road at Sidney Church Road in Riner
• Union Valley Road at Nolley Road in Riner
• Dark Run Road at Roanoke Road in Shawsville
• Taylor Hollow Road in Blacksburg
• Pilot Road at Old Pike Road in Riner

• 13th Street at Baldwin Avenue NE
• 1500 block of 10th Street NW
• 9th Street at Fairfax Avenue NW
• Wise Avenue SE at the Vinton line
• King Street at Belle Avenue NE
  

In Bedford County, according to the state Department of Transportation:

• Horseshoe Bend Road
• Goodview Road
• Carters Mill Road
• Expect delays due to standing water on Rt. 741 (Beale Trail Road) near Edgehill Road and Union Church Road

Check 511virginia.org for road condition updates.

Creeks and rivers were swollen from the rain Wednesday and overnight. The New River was swollen, muddy and moving fast through Radford's Bisset Park at about 7:30 this morning, but still many feet from flood stage.

Bisset Park, a popular place for morning walkers, was empty today as a light rain fell.

The National Weather Service, which monitors a river gauge near the park, reported the water's depth at 6.1 feet as of 7 a.m. Flood stage at that gauge is 12 feet.