COLUMBUS – Snow that moved into central Ohio overnight closed schools and highways in Columbus and surrounding areas early Wednesday morning.
Level 2 Snow Emergencies – meaning unnecessary travel was discouraged – were in effect in Franklin, Delaware and Pickaway counties and Level 1 emergencies – reminding drivers to exercise caution — for Licking, Madison and Union counties.
The City of Newark also declared a snow emergency, requiring motorists to avoid parking on designate snow emergency routes.
Multiple spinout accidents brought morning rush-hour traffic to a virtual standstill, shutting down the important westbound lanes of I-70 one the East for several hours.
A Winter Weather Advisory was in effect for the area until 1:00 p.m. for 2 to 5 inches of accumulated snow. There were 4.5 inches on the ground in downtown Columbus, more than 4 in Worthington and in southwest Franklin County, and 3 inches reported in Marysville and Delaware.
City and County authorities declared snow emergencies and the Columbus City Schools canceled classed, as did most of the districts in the region.
WEATHER ALERT: Classes are CANCELLED at all Columbus City Schools today (2/7) because of winter weather conditions.
— Columbus City Schools (@ColsCitySchools) February 7, 2018
Officials at the Ohio State University Columbus campus were made of sterner stuff, announcing early in the morning that the campus would be open.
The Ohio State University Columbus campus will remain OPEN today (2/7/18). Please use caution while traveling. More information at https://t.co/Rl65IsveNN
— OSU Emergency Mngmnt (@OSU_EMFP) February 7, 2018
University crews had been clearing roadways and sidewalks since 2:30 a.m. while CampusParc cleared parking lots, according to a release from OSU Emergency Management.