SNOW MORE

Photo by: Robert K. Yosay

Photo

Jimmie Digiacobbe of state Route 5 in Cortland uses his snow blower to clear his property Thursday. The Mahoning Valley has recorded a near-record level of snowfall this December and certainly will set a new monthly record over the next three weeks.

By DAVID SKOLNICK and ED RUNYAN

news@vindy.com

A snowstorm arriving Sunday in the Mahoning Valley could make the one that just hit the area look pleasant by comparison.

Meteorologists say the upcoming storm could be bad with high winds and heavy snowfall lasting until Tuesday.

“It has the potential to be a significant snow” storm, said Tina Pietrondi, a meteorologist with 21 WFMJ-TV.

“I don’t want to freak anyone out, but you need to be aware of the potential impact.”

It’s too early to predict how many inches of snow will fall, Pietrondi said.

But like the recent snow storm, the upcoming one is expected to hit Trumbull and Mercer counties harder than Mahoning and Lawrence counties, with less snow in Columbiana County, she said.

“It’s the coldest air we’ve seen this season,” she said.

There could be times when a motorist could drive through clear conditions and a few minutes later end up in a white-out, she said.

The snow should start early Sunday morning just after midnight and probably turn to rain, said Mike Abair, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cleveland. The rain “will be short-lived,” he said.

By midday Sunday, the cold air will arrive and turn the precipitation back to snow, Abair said. The temperature Sunday night is expected to drop to as low as 10 degrees.

“There should be snow showers into next week with accumulations,” he said.

There is little doubt this will be the December in the Mahoning Valley with the greatest snow accumulation in history.

As of Thursday evening, the National Weather Service said 28.6 inches of snow fell on the Valley. That’s already heavy enough to rank as the second snowiest December on record in the area. The NWS has snowfall records for the Mahoning Valley dating to 1934.

As of Thursday, the most snow to fall in the area in December was 29.5 inches in 1987.

The NWS measures snowfall from the Valley at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna in Trumbull County.

During the recent storm, Trumbull County received more snow than Mahoning County, Pietrondi and Abair said.

Road crews aren’t taking any chances.

“We are seeing a forecast of a significant amount of snow on Sunday and late Monday,” said Ohio Department of Transportation District 4 spokesperson Christine Myers. “Of course our crews will be prepared for that.”

District 4 includes Mahoning, Trumbull, Portage, Ashtabula and Summit counties, which have already experienced large amounts of snowfall over the past week, moreso in Trumbull, Portage and Ashtabula counties than in Mahoning and Stark. Some places in Mahoning County have as few as 3 to 4 inches on the ground.

Because of that difference and because the next wave of snowfall is likely to be influenced by the lake effect as well, ODOT is expecting more snow in the three northern counties than the two others, Myers said.

Based on information from the NWS and other sources, ODOT is expecting 3 to 5 inches Sunday and again on Monday in the three northern counties and less in the others, Myers said.

One thing ODOT tries to do when a large snowfall is expected is pretreat roads as much as possible, Meyers said. That means using a liquid brine solution on the roads prior to the snowfall, which allows plow drivers to “stay ahead” of the snow when it comes and makes it easier to remove the snow later.

Mark H. Durbin, senior public relations representative for Ohio Edison, said Thursday the company is trying to learn as much about the oncoming storm as possible.

Ohio Edison has its own meteorologists.

“Right now, no plans have been implemented,” Durbin said of whether extra personnel are assigned to work Sunday to restore power. “We wouldn’t decide any staffing level until into the weekend.”

Linda Beil, Trumbull County Emergency Management Agency director, said she’s scheduled to receive a weather briefing from the National Weather Service at 1 p.m. today and expects to know how serious the threat is at that time.

Meanwhile, she offers these tips for being prepared for a snow emergency: Stock up on food, limit the amount of snow shoveling to the amount you can do safely, check on elderly neighbors.

Also, purchase a weather radio with a battery backup, make sure you have a flashlight with good batteries, have a manually operated can opener, and provide a place for pets so they aren’t left in deep snowfalls.

Pat Calvey, Warren city operations superintendent, and Marty Patrick, highway superintendent for the Trumbull County Engineer’s Office, say their operations are trying to use the lull before the next storm to repair equipment and rest.

Trucks that have been running every day this week have needed repairs, such as replacement of the “cutter bars” attached to the blade that ride on the road and repairs on hoses, belts and hydraulic lines.

Both men have also ordered additional salt and hope their drivers will get a little rest before Sunday.

Patrick said his drivers are “tremendously tired” from working 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. three to four consecutive days. They worked a relatively short day from 3:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday.