Winter storm lashes snow and ice on Ohio

Cleveland, United States, January 10: Frigid temperatures, snow and slick conditions lashed Ohio on Saturday and continued into the evening.

As an aftermath of a winter storm that walloped the State, all flights were grounded out of the region. The storm left hazardous driving conditions in its wake, with numerous spin outs and fender- benders being reported.

The National Weather Service forecast a total accumulation of up to 10 inches in some places, warning most of Northern Ohio of dire straits until late Saturday morning and early Sunday morning.

Tom King, a meteorologist, said, “The heavy stuff is really done, but we have had reports of intermittent drizzle and freezing rain in patches tonight."

Conditions in Central and Southern Ohio were not too bad. Freezing rain made some roads and freeways dangerous. Youngstown had about 11 inches of snow, 10 inches in the Cleveland and about 9 inches in the Toledo.

Brain Mitchell of National Weather Service Cleveland pointed out that, "This is the biggest one of the season. We didn't have this kind of snow in the last couple of months."

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport canceled or delayed most of its morning flights on Saturday, but there was a possibility of the situation improving later on, with round the clock snow clearing in progress.

Precautionary measures were adopted, with authorities urging drivers to be cautious to avoid accidents. Two tractor trailers crashed in northwest Ohio's Seneca County, though fortunately there were no casualties.

Slick road conditions led to a bus crash injuring around eight people. The terrible snow covered road conditions were also responsible for two car mishaps in Lucas County.

Steady snowfall made travel on icy roads dangerous, so most school districts canceled or postponed basketball and athletic events. Ohio Wesleyan University and Wittenberg University rescheduled its men's and women’s basketball game respectively as a consequence of the heavy snow.

Marge Egan, a dispatcher at the county sheriff’s office, said, "Actually, I think people are staying home like they're supposed to. All the roads were pretty passable at six this morning when I drove to work."

Cincinnati in southwest Ohio was enveloped by a dense fog, with a forecast of light rain which could turn into freezing rain or maybe light snow with fall in temperatures.