Winter storm hits Friday, drops 3 to 6 inches of snow

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The brunt of the most recent winter storm to hit the Mahoning Valley has passed, leaving about 3 to 6 inches in its wake.

This snow will be reluctant to melt, however, as the storm ushers in a chilly week, including a lighter, more routine snowfall Sunday evening, said Jim Kosarik, a meterologist at the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

High temperatures throughout next week aren’t expected to rise much above the 20s, while lows could drop into the single digits, he noted.

“Winter is here,” Kosarik said, adding that several inches of snow on the ground lead to a “refrigerator effect,” which quickly lowers temperatures. Dispatchers in Mercer and Lawrence counties reported having the most snow-related accidents Friday evening, with Mercer County reporting being “busy” with accidents, especially after 7 p.m. Lawrence County’s 911 said it, too, had “quite a few” accidents but “very minor.”

Boardman and Austintown police as well as Trumbull County’s 911 and the Ohio State Highway Patrol in Canfield and Lisbon reported “fender benders,” but nothing serious.

The Southington Post of the Highway Patrol said there was “not too much” in the way of accidents by 9:30 p.m.

Kosarik indicated that the heaviest amounts of snow fell during the first half of Friday night, before midnight, and tapered off soon afterward.

The hardest hit areas were those farther south and farther east, including Columbiana and Lawrence counties, since the storm’s path traveled through the Ohio Valley region and Appalachian Mountains.

Even so, Eric Wilhelm, 21 WFMJ-TV chief meterologist, said the storm’s impact shouldn’t be too severe. Much of the snowfall ceased overnight, so road conditions early today should be “just fine,” he added.

Justin Chesnic — spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation’s District 4, which encompasses Mahoning, Trumbull, Ashtabula, Portage, Summit and Stark counties — said crews began monitoring the weather at midnight Thursday.

Freezing rain prevented the crews, which are working in 12-hour shifts, from pretreating the roads, Chesnic said. But once the snow started flying, the more than 40 trucks divided between Mahoning and Trumbull counties began salting roads and plowing snow.

Chesnic still warned drivers to exercise caution while traveling.

“Give yourself extra time and extra distance around other vehicles,” he said. “Drive carefully.”