COLUMBUS – Air from Siberia could bring record-low temperatures from Texas to New England and the first measurable snow of the year to Ohio.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for much Ohio, including Columbus, from 4:00 p.m. Monday until 8:00 a.m. Tuesday with as much as two inches of snow possible, according to the National Weather Service.
The City of Columbus Division of Infrastructure Management has 62 trucks and 21 anti-ice units ready to be put into service as needed with approximately 20,000 tons of salt and over 100,000 gallons of liquid anti/deicing materials on hand.
The Ohio Department of Transportation has 739,000 tons of salt available and more than 1,400 plow trucks standing by to keep roads from becoming snow-covered or icy, ODOT spokesman Matt Bruning said.
Winter driving safety tips:
Give road crews room to operate. If you can’t see their mirrors, they can’t see you!
“Ice and snow, take it slow”: Plan ahead of time and use caution when driving.
Give yourself plenty of time to slow down and stop when approaching intersections.
Icing can occur quickly, especially black ice, when temperatures fall rapidly after rain.
-Source: City of Columbus
National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Donofrio said Saturday that the weather service’s National Digital Forecast Database indicates that some 200 records might fall between by Wednesday.
Tuesday’s expected high of 23 degrees at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport would be a full 5 degrees lower than the record-low set in 1995, he said.
The cold front is expected to move southward and eastward on Monday and Tuesday, sending temperatures plunging below freezing all the way south to the Gulf Coast. It will bring January-like temperatures to some locations that are as much as 30 degrees colder than normal for this time of year.