Friday, February 26, 2010
Depths this month likely to rise to new record
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
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YOUNGSTOWN — That thaw didn’t last long enough.
The Mahoning Valley is expected to receive 5 to 11 inches of new snow between Thursday and tonight, according to the National Weather Service. Also, expect winds to reach 30 mph, said Will Kubina, a meteorologist with the weather service in Cleveland.
“It’s kind of menacing, huh?” he said. “The brunt of the snow is associated with the storm on the East Coast.”
This storm will make this the snowiest February in the recorded weather history of the Mahoning Valley. The weather service has snow records dating to 1934.
“It’s time for spring, but the weather is not cooperating,” Kubina said. “It’s been a month for big storms.”
The Valley received no snow between last Friday and Monday. Besides Feb. 8, those were the only days this month that no snow fell on the area, according to statistics compiled by the weather service.
The official snow total for the Valley was 28.2 inches as of late Thursday afternoon. The record depth is 31.7 inches in 2008.
The area averages 10.5 inches in February.
The service measures snowfall for the area at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna.
During the major snowstorm that hit the area Feb. 5 and 6, the official measurement was 8.4 inches of snow. But several communities in Mahoning and Columbiana counties had 20 inches of snow or more.
This storm is supposed to drop more snow in the northern part of the Mahoning Valley compared to its southern portion, Kubina said.
The area was supposed to get 3 to 7 inches of snow Thursday with 2 to 4 new inches of snow today, according to the forecast.
“It’s going to just keep snowing,” Kubina said. “It’s not going to leave.”
Snow showers are likely Saturday with a 50-percent chance of snow Sunday.
Boardman has banned parking on public roads until 6 p.m. Sunday because of the snow.
Though Monday is the first day of March, the snow isn’t taking much of a break. There’s a chance of snow on Monday and Wednesday, according to the NWS forecast.
There’s no snow in the Tuesday forecast. It’s expected to be mostly cloudy with a high near 33 degrees.
skolnick@vindy.com
