North central Ohio roads are feeling the effect from an ongoing winter storm as sheriff’s offices in four local counties have declared snow emergencies.
A Level Two snow emergency has been declared by Ashland and Crawford county sheriffs. A Level One has been issued in Richland County and also in Knox County.
Richland County EMA Director Joe Petrycki said Thursday morning area roads have a glaze of ice and snow, which will soon be covered by heavier snow.
“Please use caution while out on the roadways. Continue to monitor the forecast as we are expecting heavier snow later this afternoon,” Petrycki said.
The EMA chief said road crews have been out treating roads most of the night.
Richland County Engineer Adam Gove said at 9:15 a.m. that county roads were snow-covered but still “pretty good.”
“We got more than expected down in the southern part of the county. We had almost eight hours of freezing rain down by Bellville. We sent an extra truck down there this morning to salt and try to get ahead of that,” Gove said.
The engineer said the county had 15 snow plows operating Thursday morning.
“We may increase that to 17 for a couple of hours to try to ahead of everything if we can,” Gove said.
He said sections of two roads were closed Thursday morning in the northern part of the county due to high water from the rain that preceded the snow — Champion Road and London East Road.
“I am not sure if there will be others,” Gove said.
“We will be here through the duration of the snowfall and a day or so after to get everything cleaned up,” the engineer said.
City of Mansfield Street Operations Supervisor Steve Brown said his crews had 13 trucks out on the streets as of 9:45 a.m.
“We’re fighting it. Some of the main roads, you can tell they have been plowed and treated. But when it’s snowing this fast and this hard, it’s hard to keep up with it,” he said.
“We are doing the best we can,” he said.
A winter storm warning remains in effect until Friday at 7 a.m., according to the National Weather Service office in Cleveland.
The NWS is predicting four to eight inches of snow Thursday and two to four more inches Thursday night. Gusty winds will also create blowing and drifting snow.
Under Ohio law, such snow emergency declarations are made by individual county sheriff’s offices.
Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon said he issues such declarations based on reports he receives from deputies on the roads around the county, as well as information he receives from EMA and the county engineer’s office.
Here are the snow emergency level classifications:
LEVEL 1: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be icy. Motorists are urged to drive very cautiously.
LEVEL 2: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be very icy. Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roads. Contact your employer to see if you should report to work. Motorists should use extreme caution.
LEVEL 3: All roadways are closed to non-emergency personnel. No one should be driving during these conditions unless it is absolutely necessary to travel or a personal emergency exists. All employees should contact their employer to see if they should report to work. Those traveling on the roads may subject themselves to arrest.
To view the state’s weather-related road closures and restrictions, visit the Ohio Department of Transportation’s traffic website at www.ohgo.com.
The winter storm hitting north central Ohio today is a developing story and will be updated.
