Second wintry punch

COLUMBUS – Ohio is about to receive the second half of a one-two punch from winter. The left jab arrived Jan. 12, bringing several inches of fluffy snow, and the right cross should arrive sometime early Saturday, packing as much as seven inches of snow with bitter cold temperatures in its wake.

A Winter Storm Watch for central Ohio was upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning just before noon Friday

The National Weather Service revised its forecast for total snow accumulations to 8 to 12 inches and ice accumulations of around one tenth of an inch possible accompanied by winds which could gust as high as 40 mph Saturday night.

Winter Storm Harper, as the weather system has been dubbed, will affect central, southwest and west central Ohio from late Friday night through late Saturday night.

Models have been suggesting that precipitation will start falling during the mid-morning hours Saturday, according to meteorologists at WBNS 10-TV. Areas north of I-70 will likely run into more snow through the day, with more ice, snow and rain mixing in along I-70.

Near the Ohio River will be areas experiencing primarily rain with a little bit of snow mixing in at times and then again later at night.

Approximately 1,600 Ohio Department of Transportation snow plow trucks and 3,000 drivers are ready to work 12-hour shifts, spreading 553,000 tons of salt on interstates and state and U.S. routes outside of municipalities and Ohio’s interstates, said director Jack Marchbanks.

“They’ll be working hard to keep roads passable during the storm, however, high winds will bring the additional challenge of blowing and drifting conditions even after the storm moves out,” he said.

Crews from the city of Columbus started spreading de-icer Friday, said Michael Liggett, spokesman for the Department of Public Service, told The Columbus Dispatch. The salt and brine they use can be washed off in a heavy rain, he said.

Sunday will feature some lingering snow but also the coldest air of the season with temperatures dipping below zero on Monday morning.

More than 460 flights were canceled Saturday morning at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Chicago’s Midway International Airport also canceled about 50 flights.

In the Detroit area, many motorists were moving well below posted speed limits along freeways due to slushy conditions.

The snowfall is part of a wall of hazardous weather trekking from the Dakotas, across the Great Lakes states and into New England. The National Weather Service has warned that conditions in the Northeast “could approach blizzard criteria.”

The storm is expected to bring between up to 10 inches of snow to the Midwest before walloping the Northeast on Sunday.