More than a foot of snow falls on area

The weather may be responsible for three deaths.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
We didn't break a record, but the Mahoning Valley hasn't seen this much snowfall in a 24-hour period in nearly 14 years.
The National Weather Service reports close to 13 inches of snow fell at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna between noon Tuesday and noon Wednesday.
Of that amount, 9.9 inches fell Tuesday and 3.1 inches Wednesday. The airport is the NWS' official weather measurement location for this area; the amount is different in other parts of the Valley.
The NWS had predicted 10 to 20 inches of snow for that time frame. The average snowfall for that 24-hour period in the area over the past 64 years is 0.4 inch. Just last year, 0.01 inch of snow was recorded at the airport for that time frame.
Three deaths
The weather may be responsible for three deaths.
Dr. Mark Soller, a 50-year-old Boardman dentist, whose office was on Market Street, died Tuesday evening while clearing snow at his home in Ridgewood Estates.
Martin Machingo, a 68-year-old Girard man, was pronounced dead Wednesday at Forum Health Northside Medical Center in Youngstown, where he was taken after neighbors found him collapsed in his East Prospect Street driveway, police said.
Fire department personnel, first responders at the scene, and ambulance paramedics tried to revive Machingo at his home shortly before 8:30 a.m., but were unable to do so. Police say Machingo may have been shoveling snow or attempting to start his snow blower when he collapsed.
Also, a 70-year-old Struthers man died about 9 a.m. Wednesday after being found lying near his parked car near his Elm Street home, police said. His name wasn't released.
Area hospitals, with the exception of Forum Health Northside Medical Center in Youngstown, say they haven't seen an increase in weather-related emergency room visits the past few days. The increase at Northside is relatively minor, a spokeswoman said.
Closings
The snow caused closings Tuesday and Wednesday, including numerous school districts, universities and colleges, libraries, Youngstown and Mahoning County government offices as well as the cancellation of several meetings and events.
The nearly 13 inches of snow is the most for the area in any 24-hour time span since March 13, 1993, when 14.7 inches of snow fell.
The NWS doesn't have a list of the top snow accumulations in a 24-hour period in the Mahoning Valley, except that the most snowfall in that time frame was 20.7 inches Nov. 24-25, 1950. The area's recorded weather history dates to 1943.
Based on raw NWS data and Vindicator files, the snow that fell between noon Tuesday and noon Wednesday is the largest 24-hour accumulation besides the March 13, 1993, snow during the past 40 years.
The recent snowfall eclipses the 12 inches that fell between 7 a.m. Dec. 1, 1974, and 7 a.m. Dec. 2, 1974; and the 11.8 inches recorded April 14, 1987.
What's next
While the worst of the snow is over, it's not going to melt for some time, said Brian Mitchell, a meteorological technician for the NWS in Cleveland, who was based at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport during the 1993 blizzard.
There is a 30 percent chance of snow today, but it would be a very modest amount, he said.
The problems are the winds reaching 30 mph causing considerable blowing and drifting snow that will result in near-zero visibility at times, and the low temperatures, Mitchell said.
Today's temperature was to range from a low of 5 degrees to a high of 15 degrees. Also, there is a small chance of snow Friday with a low temperature of 10 degrees and a high of 20 degrees.
The NWS removed a winter storm warning for Mahoning and Trumbull counties at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Warnings are issued when there is a significant winter storm or hazardous weather occurring or likely, and is a threat to life and property.
There is a a wind chill advisory through 10 a.m. today for Mahoning and Trumbull as well as Columbiana County in Ohio and Mercer and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania. The advisory means that very cold air and strong winds will generate low wind chills.
skolnick@vindy.com