Monday, December 8, 2003
Parking is banned on roads in Weathersfield Township and Salem.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
A winter-storm warning will remain in effect for the Mahoning and Shenango valleys through this morning as snow continues to fall.
National Weather Service forecasters expected the storm to drop between 5 and 8 inches of snow on the area, including 2 to 3 inches Friday night.
It's the first major winter storm for the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys this year. A total of 3.2 inches of snow had fallen on the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport between Oct. 1 and Thursday, according to the NWS.
Local law enforcement officials reported no fatal accidents Friday night as a result of the storm.
Police and firefighters still had their hands full, however, responding to minor accidents.
"We're having our problems," said Mahoning County Sheriff's Maj. Michael Budd. "The first snow, everybody forgets how to drive."
Budd said deputies responded to unrelated crashes on South Turner and Palmyra roads in Canfield involving vehicles that had rolled over. A person involved in one of the accidents was taken to Salem Community Hospital, and a person involved in the other accident was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center. Additional details were not available Friday night.
Budd said the number of crashes being reported to deputy sheriffs had slowed by 8 p.m. Friday.
"It's getting better," he said.
County reports
Emergency dispatchers in Trumbull and Columbiana counties, as well as Mercer and Lawrence counties, Pa., also reported that several minor accidents had occurred. Several said they had received reports of vehicles that had slid into ditches.
Officials in Weathersfield Township and Salem have banned parking on roads at least through this morning.
The NWS is forecasting a chance of snow through Sunday night, with high temperatures in the mid-30s and lows in the mid-20s. By Monday, the temperature is expected to rise to 40, and rain is forecast through Wednesday.
As part of Friday's storm warning, the NWS stated that "any travel is discouraged. If you leave the safety of being indoors ... you are putting your life at risk."
hill@vindy.com