“It’s not going to get that much warmer anytime soon,” Reed said, adding that people should bundle up and take precautions if they’re going outside. Wind chills were expected to be below zero on Saturday morning.
The NWS and its spotters reported multiple snow and sleet totals around 4-5 inches in Warren County, several reports of 6 inches in Montgomery County, and a few reports of 7-8 inches in Miami County.
Those who shoveled it know the fluffy 4 inches on top were nothing like the compacted 2 inches of sleet at the bottom that stuck to driveways, sidewalks and car windshields.
Credit: Marshall Gorby
Credit: Marshall Gorby
Max Aries, 15, and his dad, Manuel Aries, were shoveling snow outside their home on Friday in Dayton.
Despite the hard work, Max said he was excited about the snow, in part because of the mild start to this winter.
“In December, we didn’t have snow,” he said.
Manuel Arias said the weather made it harder to drive, especially at night — his wife had to go to work soon, and they were preparing.
While plenty of people dealt with the drudgery of shoveling, others felt the joy of a winter snow day, with nearly all schools closed for the day.
Crowds of people piled onto every type of sled possible to go down the hill at Taylorsville Park in Vandalia. One group of seven linked themselves together to zip down the hill at once, while other brave souls went airborne off a packed-snow ramp.
At the Ohio Department of Transportation, spokeswoman Tiffany Oliphant said snowplow crews were working 12-hour shifts treating Miami Valley roads to help people get where they needed to go.
“Once the snow stops and the sun comes out, this allows us to get ahead of conditions,” Oliphant said.
She said ODOT also has seen less traffic during and after this storm, which helped crews to clear the ice and snow from the roads.
“Conditions are improving in some areas,” she said. “We are still asking drivers to limit unnecessary travel and give us room to work.”
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Dayton, like many municipalities, says on its website it prioritizes busier streets and main streets and plows side streets last. City of Dayton spokeswoman Toni Bankston said crews have been out on a rotating schedule since 3 a.m. on Thursday.
Many drivers who went out Friday found the hardest part was getting out of their driveway or unplowed side street. Once they powered through the small wall of snow — created by the plows doing their job — they found themselves on much clearer pavement.
Kettering spokeswoman Mary Azbill said primary routes — streets like Far Hills Avenue, Shroyer Road, Dorothy Lane and Rahn Road – have been plowed and salted. Crews were working on secondary routes, such as Lincoln Park, through Friday morning and into the afternoon. The city will start clearing neighborhood service once the secondary routes are plowed, she said.
West Carrollton City Manager Brad Townsend said the city was working on plowing the side streets Friday.
“With the ice and then snow coming down at a rapid pace, the plow crews spent most of their time trying to keep the main routes open,” he said.
He said city workers couldn’t get into the subdivision plots as much on Thursday night and planned to work on them on Friday.
RTA CEO Robert Ruzinsky said RTA buses have been running as scheduled and all routes are being served. He said most RTA routes operate on major streets and the RTA is working with various jurisdictions to keep the roads salted and cleared.
“Of course the weather is impacting all of us, and some buses have run a little behind schedule, but with safety being our first priority, we are good with that and our riders understand,” Ruzinsky said.
Rumpke announced late Thursday they would not collect trash or recycling on Friday due to weather and rescheduled many Friday pickups to Saturday.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
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