CLEVELAND, Ohio (3:49 p.m., Friday, Feb. 20)–The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning which is in effect for Richland, Crawford, Ashland, Morrow, and Knox counties from midnight tonight until 10 p.m. Saturday.
Snow accumulations of 6 to 8 inches are expected, with snow starting after midnight. The heaviest snowfall is expected from sunrise Saturday into early afternoon, with snow ending in early afternoon.
Hazardous travel conditions are expected due to reduced visibility and snow accumulation.
Arctic air over the eastern half of the nation and a warm front lifting northeastward out of the southern Plains will set the stage for a high impact ice and snow event this weekend.
An abundance of moisture returning from the Gulf of Mexico will fuel widespread moderate-to-heavy precipitation ahead of the surging warm front which will expand over portions of the lower to middle Mississippi Valley, Tennessee Valley, Ohio Valley and the northeast and northern mid-Atlantic states.
The cold dense air in place over the east will be slow to erode beneath the warm air moving in aloft, leading to a wide axis of snow, sleet, and freezing rain within the northern edge of the precipitation shield.
After a brief warm up, an arctic boundary dropping down from Canada will bring another blast of winter to the north central U.S. this weekend. In addition to the plunging temperatures and gusty winds, light to moderate snow showers will add to the blustery conditions.
