ASHLAND — It’s been more than a decade since Ashland County was under a Level 3 snow emergency, according to EMA director Mark Rafeld.
“It’s been quite a while ago,” he said. “More than 15 years ago.”
The reason the Level 3 designation is so rare is because it causes “a great deal of hardship” on people who need to travel for work or for businesses who need to stay open despite the snow levels.
The designation also places a burden on an already stretched-thin law enforcement presence, he said.
“To be honest, nobody wants to arrest somebody who’s driving on the road. Nobody wants to do that. They have plenty to do already,” Rafeld said.
Level 3 snow emergencies allow officers to arrest people who are out on the road unnecessarily. The intention is to get vehicles off the road in order to allow plow trucks to clear them properly, Rafeld said.
To his knowledge, no one was arrested. Ashland County Sheriff E. Wayne Risner was not immediately available to comment.
“There were a few people who did get stuck. There were some folks who abandoned their cars. And then plows couldn’t get down the road. And the tow trucks couldn’t get down there either,” Rafeld said.
No one needed to be rescued, he said.
“But we were prepared for that,” Rafeld said, citing the preparation of several warming stations around the county.
Thankfully, people did not need to use any of the stations.
“I think a lot of people stayed home. You always have folks that, no matter if there’s Level 3 or not, they gotta go to the store. There appeared to be less of that during this storm. Overall, I’m happy the Level 3 (designation) was heeded,” he said.
In all, the county was under a Level 3 snow emergency just over 18 hours.
As of Friday afternoon, the county remained in a Level 2 snow emergency, meaning the roads are still hazardous but people may traverse them without being subjected to possible arrest.
Rafeld said most of the main roads throughout Ashland County were cleared by the afternoon.
Additional snow showers are expected to last through 3 p.m. Friday and again between 1 and 2 a.m. Saturday, according to NWS.
Wind-chill values are expected to plunge to nearly -5 degrees through Friday night.
Temperatures will climb through the weekend, reaching to 21 Saturday — but wind chills will continue to be a factor with wind speeds reaching up to 7 mph.
Sunday the high is 32 and wind speeds are expected to reach around 11 mph.
The start of the week will bring warmer temperatures, at least relatively speaking, as the forecast shows highs around 30 degrees.
