Digging out, Ohio looks for a snow reprieve

Digging out, Ohio looks for a snow reprieve

In Youngstown, almost a foot of snow fell during the storm.

STAFF/WIRE REPORT

COLUMBUS — Snowplows and cleanup crews worked overtime Sunday as the state continued to dig out of record-setting snowstorm that buried the city and other parts of Ohio.

Snowfall from the weekend blast helped to make 2007 to 2008 the snowiest winter on record for the Mahoning Valley. The National Weather Service in Cleveland recorded 6.2 inches Friday and 5.4 inches Saturday for a combined storm total of 11.6 inches for Youngstown.

In Trumbull County, Newton Falls had to dig out from 16 inches while Warren and Champion saw 10 inches and 9 inches, respectively, said Frank Kieltyka, a meteorologist at NWS in Cleveland.

Youngstown has been covered by 94.3 inches of snow so far this winter, making it the snowiest on record going back to 1943.

Last year was the second snowiest when 90.2 inches were recorded, Kieltyka said.

A reprieve is expected during the workweek, although more snow is expected by Friday.

“It won’t be anything like this,” the meteorologist said.

Today should be mostly cloudy with a high in the mid-30s. For Tuesday, temperatures are forecast hit the upper 30s under a mix of sun and clouds.

On Wednesday, we could see partly sunny skies with highs in the low 40s and the temperature could climb to 50 on Thursday with a 30 percent chance of rain.

By Friday, it’s expected to dip back into the low 40s with a 50 percent chance of rain and snow, Kieltyka said.

“The normal high is 43, so basically, we’re just trying to get back to normal,” he said.

The heavy winter storm dumped more than 20 inches of snow on Columbus, while blizzard conditions shut down highways and stranded air travelers in the region. The storm eventually swept into the East Coast on Saturday, battering Pennsylvania and New Jersey with a line of thunderstorms.

Many churches in the Columbus area canceled Sunday services as roads remained slick.

Cleanup crews also were busy in Cleveland and Cincinnati, which each received about a foot of snow.

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, which shut down Saturday, reopened Sunday but flight delays and cancellations were expected as airlines tried to get their schedules back on track, spokesman Todd Payne said. Travelers were urged to call ahead.

Some delays were also expected at Port Columbus International Airport, where 90 percent of flights were canceled Saturday.

Ohio State University planned to hold classes Monday but warned that parking would be more difficult than usual.

Parking lots are plowed but not down to the pavement, and garage ramps are slippery, officials said.

The storm, which rolled in Friday, centered on Columbus, breaking the city’s previous record of 15.3 inches of snow set in February 1910, the National Weather Service said.

“We will get through this,” Gov. Ted Strickland said Saturday.

“The snow will stop, the wind will cease, and the sun will shine. But until that happens we need to be smart, take care of ourselves and attempt to be helpful to others.”

One traffic death was blamed on the weather Friday. Three men in the Cleveland area and one in the Columbus area died Saturday while shoveling snow, authorities said.

A warm up was not expected until Tuesday, when the forecast called for temperatures in the lower 40s, the weather service said.

Flooding could be a concern if it warms up too quickly, said Nancy Dragoni, director of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency.

“We’re hopeful that there’ll be enough time for some of the water to go down in the rivers and creeks and streams so we can absorb the snow when it melts,” she said.