COLUMBUS, Ohio – The newest round of winter weather left central Ohio roads covered with a coating of snow overnight, making for a slippery commute.
The conditions forced many school districts to delay the start of classes and some to close altogether.
Pickaway County and Fairfield County were under Level 1 snow emergencies Tuesday morning.
Between 1 and 3 inches of new snow fell on central Ohio overnight, coating road surfaces just in time for the morning commute to work and school.
More than 100 ODOT snow plows and 64 Columbus city snow plow trucks were working to clear interstates, state and US routes, arterial streets, bridges, overpasses, inclines and ramps and planned to throughout the day.
The Ohio Department of Transportation did not plan to pretreat roads because the agency believed there was sufficient salt residue on the road from the weekend, said Breanna Badanes, spokeswoman for ODOT District 6, which includes Franklin County.
By 3:00 a.m., Badanes said ODOT expected to have 91 crews on interstates, state and US routes in Central Ohio.
About 50 City of Columbus trucks took to the roadways late Monday night, clearing state Routes 33, 104 and 315 and bridges, overpasses and arterial streets, Service Department spokesman Rick Tilton said.
The new snow comes on the heels of a winter storm that moved through central Ohio and on to the East Coast and New England, dumping several inches of snow on Philadelphia and northern Maryland.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the Eastern Seaboard, including Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Wilmington, Del. Snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches are expected.
Federal offices in the DC area are closed as the snow is expected to hit the region just in time for the morning commute.