Rain turns to snow as temperatures dive

Monday's highs of 50 and 60 dropped by about 30 degrees overnight.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Cleveland area, unusually light on snow this winter, got some of the weather it's accustomed to during the morning rush hour Tuesday that was slowed by icy roads and snow. Across the state, a dramatic drop to temperatures more typical of an Ohio winter made it tougher to get by with unbuttoned coats and no gloves.
Bundling up hadn't been required much lately with high temperatures and days of soaking rains that caused minor flooding along rivers and in low-lying areas. But thermometers plummeted about 30 degrees from Monday to Tuesday. Highs on Monday were in the 50s and low 60s, changing to about 25 to 30 degrees Tuesday.
Stan Mincek, with snowflakes blowing around him in Willoughby in Northeast Ohio, took the wintry weather in stride.
"I think we can't complain because it's been a mild winter so far. So why complain? Because it don't do any good," he said Tuesday, laughing.
Rivers were starting to recede after days of flood warnings that had nearby residents nervous and led authorities to open shelters in some areas as a precaution. But damage was minor, and no evacuations were necessary.
Water levels drop
"The rivers are coming down and the threat is going down with it," said John Sikora, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston, W.Va.
In northwest Ohio, concerns subsided in Findlay where high water has been a problem over the last two months. Water from the rising Blanchard River blocked several city streets over the weekend, but most of it receded Monday, police said. Only a handful of roads remained closed.
Sikora said flood-prone Marietta was not expected to get water from the Ohio River, which was not expected to reach flood stage. But business owners and residents in lower areas on both sides of the river still were watching for flooding.
The Cleveland area, which normally gets lots of snow throughout the winter coming off Lake Erie, was hit with a snow shower just in time for the morning rush hour. Some commuters in Willoughby along Lake Erie had to pull off the road as the heaviest snow fell.
The weather service issued lake snow advisories for parts of Ashtabula, Geauga and Trumbull counties through early today. Accumulation is expected to range from a dusting to up to 6 inches in Snow-Belt areas.
Crews had been dispatched to clear roads around the clock until the storm passes.
The storm system, the same one that has wreaked winter havoc from Texas to upstate New York, was moving out of the state late Tuesday, leaving sunny skies.
Sikora had a warning for anyone optimistic that the mild conditions will continue until spring, pointing out blizzards have hit in late March: "We're not out of the woods yet."