COLUMBUS – A deadly winter weather system was expected to take a parting shot at central Ohio before the weekend: A layer of snow that might cause problems for morning commuters ahead of a dramatic warmup.
Winter Weather Advisory in effect from 7:00 p.m. Thursday until 10:00 a.m. Friday for light snow. Total snow accumulations of 2-4″ with locally higher amounts and ice accumulations of a light glaze expected.
A northeast Ohio woman may be the state’s first fatality as a result of the frigid weather that claimed at least 13 lives across the Midwest and Great Plains since Monday.
Lorain County Coroner Stephen Evans said death of the 60-year-old woman whose body was found in a vacant house Wednesday was likely related to the dangerous cold. He told The (Elyria) Chronicle-Telegram it appears she died of hypothermia.
Authorities say she may have been staying in the house for months and apparently died in the last day or two.
The deep freeze affecting the Midwest led some universities across Ohio to cancel classes again Thursday.
The National Weather Service said the temperature Thursday fell to negative 10 degrees in Toledo, setting a record low for the date there. The previous record was minus 5, set in 1971.
The Ohio Department of Transportation will have 125 crews on duty by 11:00 p.m. in Franklin, Delaware, Fayette, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway and Union Counties, preparing to work through the night keeping roadways clear. Snow is expected to begin falling late Thursday night and continue into Friday morning, creating the potential for slippery road surfaces, which are still extremely cold, ODOT spokeswoman Breanna Badanes said.
“While we can’t pre-treat when it’s this cold, there’s plenty of salt residue still on the road from earlier this week,” Badanes said.
Salt alone is less effective when temperatures are this far below freezing, so ODOT will mix salt with liquid de-icers like beet juice to make the salt more effective.
Temperatures are expected to rise over the weekend, nearing 60 degrees early next week before dropping back to more normal early-February readings by Wednesday.