COLUMBUS – From the ridiculous to the sublime.
That’s winter in Ohio.
A dramatic turnaround was due to begin in central Ohio and across the Midwest over the weekend, but not before the region found itself coated by a generous snowfall the day before Groundhog Day, when folklore claims the furry rodents emerge from their dens to predict the arrival of spring.
The National Weather Service reported that as much as 5 1/2 inches of snow fell across the greater Columbus area overnight Thursday, making the Friday morning commute a slippery, slow-motion nightmare for winter-weary residents.
Level 2 snow emergencies were declared in Delaware, Fairfield, Licking and Pickaway Counties and more than 400 school districts cancelled classes, including the Columbus City Schools, South Western City Schools, Delaware City Schools, Circleville City Schools, Pickerington Local Schools and the Newark City Schools.
Ohio Department of Transportation officials said 1,200 crews were on roadways statewide overnight and 130 crews remained on duty in central Ohio Friday, plowing and salting though pavement temperatures remained in the teens so the workers employed a mix of salt and beet juice to make it more effective in melting ice and snow, spokeswoman Breanna Badanes said.
Forecasts say Midwest will see a rapid thaw over the next few days, with temperatures climbing by as much as 80 degrees. Experts say it’s unprecedented, and it could create problems of its own such as bursting pipes, flooding rivers and crumbling roads.
Potholes are formed when water seeps into cracks in the pavement, then expands as it freezes. Traffic on the pavement causes the material to break into pieces, creating a pothole, ODOT director Jack Marchbanks
said.
Roadways with a high volume of traffic are particularly prone to pothole formation, he said.
So far this winter, Marchbanks says ODOT has used 2,574 tons of asphalt to repair potholes, up from 1,892 tons at the same time last year. Crews have spent more than 39,000 hours — the equivalent of 70 years — patching potholes this winter, Marchbanks said
Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the Weather Underground firm, says past cold waves have not dissipated this quickly.
Rockford, Illinois, saw a record-breaking minus 31 on Thursday but should be around 50 on Monday. Other previously frozen areas, including Ohio, can expect temperatures of 55 or higher.