COLUMBUS, Ohio – Round Two of a winter triple-header is taking aim at central Ohio.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for all of central Ohio from 4:00 p.m. Tuesday until 10:00 a.m. Wednesday (see above). A storm could bring as much as 9 inches of snow to areas north of Columbus and 4 or 5 inches of snow in the city, followed by blowing and drifting Wednesday afternoon.
Forecasters say the heaviest snow probably will be north of Dayton and Columbus.
Ohio Department of Transportation officials say their road crews will remain on duty after the time when the snow is expected to start and will be prepared to keep roadways clear. ODOT has used 84,000 tons of salt in Franklin and eight nearby counties, has 33,000 tons of salt on hand and another 27,000 tons on order, spokeswoman Nancy Burton said.
This follows on the heels of a storm that dumped as much as 10 inches of snow on parts of southern Ohio, closing or delaying some schools and government offices. Ohio University in Athens and Shawnee State University in Portsmouth were among schools that closed for the day.
It was the northern fringe of a system that dumped 8 inches of snow on New York City, Philadelphia and New Jersey.
The southern part of the state could get snow mixed with rain or freezing rain, making for a difficult Wednesday commute for many.
The National Weather Service says snow will cover parts of Ohio, Illinois and Indiana with the heaviest accumulations are expected in Kansas and Missouri.
A third round of snow is forecast for this weekend.